The No. 7 Alabama women’s golf team finished up its latest tournament, the Tiger/Wave Golf Classic in New Orleans March 12-14, with a third-place finish. They lost to Auburn and TCU.
The team’s best days were the first and third, but the second day put them behind overall. One of the biggest factors throughout the tournament was the wind. Head coach Mic Potter said that posed a challenge for his team.
“We could’ve played better in the wind, but it was something that needed to happen,” he said. “We needed to learn that we’ve got some work to do in keeping the ball under the wind and how to play in those conditions.”
While Potter said they’re one of the better ball-striking teams, as a whole the team has been working on its putting.
“The better we can putt, the lower our scores will be,” he said.
Senior Camilla Lennarth said she agreed with Potter that their putting game can be the difference in a win and that they use good practice time to work on it.
“If we have a practice where Coach [Potter] wants to set it up, he always sets up some kind of putting drill for us,” she said.
Their next event is the Liz Murphy Collegiate Classic in Athens, Ga., this weekend. Lennarth said after having spring break off, she’s ready to compete again.
“That’s why I’m here, to compete,” she said. “Practice is fun, but competing is what I’m here for.”
This tournament is one the team goes to every year. They will face several top 20 teams, such as No. 4 Duke and again seeing No. 2 Auburn.
“We’re almost always in the top 5,” Potter said. “We finished second last year, but it was shortened to just one day. We tend to play fairly well there.”
Because the team goes annually, they’ve learned the course very well, giving them a great advantage.
“It’s a tricky course, but I feel like we’re all hitting the ball well right now,” Lennarth said. “So, it should be a good tournament.
Within the team, each year is represented pretty evenly. There is only one freshman, Jennifer Kirby, but Potter said she’d adjusted well to collegiate play.
“She’s always been pretty independent and has her goals in line,” he said. “She’s a great player and going to be a greater one. It’s been outstanding having her on the team.”
As far as the leadership goes, Potter said there’s no particular player, but that it’s more that the team as a whole has its goals.
“It’s more of a leadership by consensus,” he said. “I just take that year-to-year. Sometimes you’re going to have strong leaders, and sometimes you’re not. We don’t have anybody that really stands out, although it does get done.”
At this point in the season, no one player can be seen as the most improved, but Potter said there’s still time for it, and when these players get to that level, the team will be competitive for any tournament they play in, including the NCAA Championship.
