Top-Ranked Men’s Golf Opens 2014-15 Slate at Carpet Capital Collegiate This Weekend

The two-time defending national champion Alabama men’s golf team will open the 2014-15 season this weekend when it competes at the Carpet Capital Collegiate this weekend in Rocky Face, Ga. The event will be played at the par 72, 7,012-yard Farm Golf Club.

The tournament is slated for 54 holes in three days (Sept. 5-7) and boasts of another strong field. In addition to the top-ranked Crimson Tide, the 2014 Carpet Capital features five top-25 teams from the Golf Coaches Association of America Preseason Poll, as well as four teams that received votes.

Alabama, which is the ranked No. 1 in the nation in the Golf Coaches Association of America preseason top-25 poll, will send a formidable lineup, led by two starters off last year’s NCAA National Championship squad in sophomore Robby Shelton and junior Tom Lovelady.

Shelton was the 2014 Phil Mickelson Award winner as the National Freshman of the Year and was also named the SEC's Player and Freshman of the Year. Lovelady also enjoyed a stellar 2013-14 season during which he started 10 of the team's 12 events and finished with a 72.27 per round average.

Sophomore Dru Love and freshmen Jonathan Hardee and Tyler Hitchner will each make their debut with Crimson Tide in this weekend’s event.

Alabama has won the Carpet Capital Collegiate three times (2006, 2007 and 2010), while former standout Justin Thomas won individual medalist honors in 2011. The Tide also holds course records for 18-hole (276 in 2006) and 54-hole (841 in 2006) scores.

2014 Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic
Tournament Field: Alabama, Auburn, Chattanooga, Clemson, Florida, Georgia Tech (host), Kennesaw State, LSU, Middle Tennessee, North Carolina, UNF, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wake Forest

Where: The Farm, Rocky Face, Ga. | Par 72 | 7,012 yards

When: September 5-7

Format: 54 holes over three days (Fri.-Sun.)

Best Alabama Finish: 1st, Three Times (2006, 2007, 2010)