It looked, for a moment, like the Alabama men’s golf team would win the University’s fourth national championship of 2012 and the first in program history. But a strange twist of fate on the 18th hole left the Tide wondering what could have been at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, Ca., on Sunday.
Alabama fell to the Texas Longhorns on the final day of the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships – a day that saw the Tide battle back from several early deficits, leaving them with a chance to win it at the end.
Texas and Alabama were all tied up heading to the final hole, where Alabama’s Cory Whitsett and Dylan Frittelli would play for the rights to the national championship.
Whitsett’s approach found the rough just off the 18th green, and Frittelli’s landed on the green 20 feet from the hole. But Whitsett lost his ball in the thick Kikuyu grass and whiffed on his chip, while Frittelli sunk a 20-foot putt to win the title.
“I am not as mad at that shot as the shots that led up to it,” Whitsett said. “You can’t be in that position. I didn’t hit a good tee shot. Dylan played great, and I didn’t take advantage of some opportunities.”
Head coach Jay Seawell isn’t dwelling on his performance on the 18th hole.
“We would’ve never even been in that position without Cory,” head coach Jay Seawell said. “The only reason we had a chance to win a national championship was because of Cory Whittsett.”
It took a come-from-behind effort to put the Tide in a position even to have a chance to win the title.
In the first match, sophomore Bobby Wyatt trailed by one heading into the final two holes against Toni Hakula. And with the Tide already down two matches to one, Wyatt needed to at least tie the hole.
Wyatt birdied the 17th hole to pull even and won the match on a birdie chip on the 18th hole that even Seawell couldn’t believe went in.
“I was right beside him, acting a fool after he did it. It was a beautiful thing. Probably the most spectacular, exciting thing I’ve seen in college golf,” Seawell said. “When it went in, it was probably the most euphoric feeling I’ve ever had.”
Junior Scott Strohmeyer fell two and one, and freshman Justin Thomas fell three and two in the third and fourth matches of the day, respectively.
Senior Hunter Hamrick dominated his match against Texas’ Julio Vegas, whom Seawell called the hottest player in the Texas lineup, winning six and five.
“He’s been such a huge part in Alabama golf and what we’re trying to build,” Seawell said of Hamrick, who played his last round of golf in an Alabama uniform on Sunday.
Alabama won the stroke play portion of the championships, shooting a +7 over the first three days and giving the Tide the No. 1 seed heading into the match play portion of the event. The Tide defeated Kent State in the quarterfinals 3-1-1 and took down California 3-2 in the semis.
But Alabama fell one hole short against Texas in the finals, leaving the team with a sense of pride for making it so far, but disappointment for coming so close.
“It hurts to feel like the national championship was right there, and the guys played so hard,” head coach Jay Seawell said. “To lose on the last hole, that has a pretty good sting to it.”
