Men’s Golf Earns Top Seed at NCAA Baton Rouge Regional

The University of Alabama men's golf team garnered its ninth straight invitation to NCAA postseason competition on Monday when selected to compete in the 2013 NCAA Baton Rouge (La.) Regional on May 16-18 at the University Club of Baton Rouge.The second-ranked Crimson Tide is the regions' No. 1 seed and features four of the top individuals in the nation in Cory Whitsett (No. 3), Bobby Wyatt (No. 5), Justin Thomas (No. 8) and Trey Mullinax (No. 29). The University Club is a par-72, 7,274-yard layout that is home to the LSU Tigers.

“We are excited to get a No. 1 seed and stay relatively close to home in the Baton Rouge Regional,” Alabama head coach Jay Seawell said. “Now that we know where we will be playing, it is time to focus on a challenging test of golf on the home course of one of our SEC rivals. Our team has lofty goals, and we have to get ready for the task that lies ahead.”

It is the fourth time in the last six years the Crimson Tide has garnered a No. 1 seed at a NCAA Regional. The Tide was also a No. 1 seed in 2008, 2011 and 2012 advancing to the NCAA Championships in all three seasons. UA was a No. 2 seed in 2009 when it won the NCAA Galloway (N.J.) Regional.

Since Seawell's arrival in Tuscaloosa prior to the 2002-03 season, the Crimson Tide has qualified for nine straight NCAA postseasons and 10 overall, including six NCAA Championship appearances (2005, 2007-09, 2011-12). The 2013 selection is the 22^nd overall NCAA appearance in school history. Alabama is a year removed from the program’s best finish at the NCAA Championships, a runner-up showing at the Riviera Country Club.

The NCAA men's golf tournament is in the fifth year of a new format adopted for the 2009 season. The old 30-team, three-regional was replaced by a six-regional schedule. Three of the regionals will have fields of 13 teams and 10 individuals, with the other three consist of 14 teams and five individuals each for a total of 75 players at each site. The NCAA Baton Rouge Regional will consist of 13 teams and 10 individuals.

The top five teams and the top individual not on an advancing team will qualify from each regional site for the NCAA Division I Men's Championship at the Crabapple Course at the Capital City Club in Atlanta, Ga. The NCAA Championship begins on May 28 and concludes on June 2. The finals will consist of 30 teams and will be cut to the top eight teams after 54 holes of stroke play. Those eight teams will then face off in three rounds of match play to determine the national champion. The individual winner is crowned after the end of stroke play (54 holes).

Joining Alabama in the NCAA Baton Rouge (La.) Regional is No. 2-seed Florida, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Mississippi State, No. 5 Houston, No. 6 Northwestern, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 8 South Alabama, No. 9 Coastal Carolina, No. 10 UAB, No. 11 Wichita State, No. 12 Southeastern Louisiana and No. 13 Houston Baptist.

Individuals selected to participate in the regional include: Jonathan Grey, Georgia State; Tomasz Anderson, Jacksonville State; Alex Ellis, College of Charleston; Kamito Hirai, Winthrop; Blake Morris, Mississippi; Sam Bernstein, Yale; Josh Lorenzetti, College of Charleston; Josh Waters, LIU Brooklyn; Steve Burak, Fairfield; Chris House, Navy.

Last season Alabama won the NCAA Athens (Ga.) Regional. The Crimson Tide also won the 2009 NCAA Galloway (N.J.) Regional.