The University of Alabama men’s golf team is set to start the NCAA Championships Tuesday in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

Alabama, ranked as the No. 2 team by Golfweek, enters the six-day tournament coming off two impressive performances at the Southeastern Conference Championships and Atlanta Regional Tournament. Alabama finished first in both events, with scores of 12-under-par 840 and 24-under-par 852, respectively.

In regional play, freshman Justin Thomas and sophomores Bobby Wyatt and Cory Whitsett finished in the top three spots individually, with scores of 204, 205 and 208, respectively. Despite the team’s success and talent, senior Hunter Hamrick said his team can still make improvements. When asked how his team could improve from regional play, Hamrick said his team should have four or five of the top spots, not just three. “I think it’s reality,” Hamrick said. “And that’s what you’ve got to wish for. That’s how you win, just everybody trying to get to the top. That’s how you shoot a good team score.”

Still, Thomas said his team will just have to remain consistent heading in. “We’re just going to try to maintain the things we’ve been doing,” Thomas said. “We all know we’re good players, we know we can play well and hang with any other team, we just have to believe in that.” Talent is one thing Alabama has no shortage of heading into the championships. The Tide currently has three players ranked in the top 20 individual players in the nation by Golfweek: Thomas at No. 2, Wyatt at No. 17 and Whitsett at No. 18. Of the seven spring events Alabama has competed in this year, the Tide has placed first in five of them. Thomas will also be in the running for best individual in the nation at the tournament. He has had a stellar freshman year, leading the team in individual scoring numerous times in the spring. Alabama head coach Jay Seawell said Thomas has a good chance to be one of the best at the tournament this year. “I think he’s the player of the year,” Seawell said of Thomas. “He was the Player of the Year in the Southeastern Conference, which is the first time a freshman’s won player of the year, which is amazing. I think he’s the favorite for National Player of the Year, which is unbelievable.” Alabama will not be without some difficulties in the championships, however. Despite its impressive level of play recently, the Tide has yet to play at the Riviera Country Club golf course, which hosts the championship this year. The par-71 course is considered difficult and has played host to the U.S. Open, two PGA Championships and the U.S. Senior Open. Seawell said this would be the most difficult course his team has faced all season. “It’s got a great historic background with golf,” Seawell said. “But when it really gets down to it on Tuesday, it’s all about the players. It’s all about playing good golf.” Amid the excitement heading into the championship, it hasn’t been lost on Hamrick that this will be his last chance to help earn himself and his team their first national program. Still, Hamrick said the only thing he’s focusing on is his next shot. “You can’t really think about that,” Hamrick said. “It’s a long tournament, and you have to play one day at a time, one shot at a time, and see where it takes you.”