The No. 2 Alabama men’s golf team will play the team’s third tournament in as many weeks the Linger Longer Invitational this weekend. The tournament will take place at the Reynolds Landing Golf Club in Greensboro, Ga.
With the golfers’ latest win at the Schenkel Invitational last weekend, Alabama has won two of its last three tournaments. Sophomore Justin Thomas set a school record with his individual tournament victory, bringing his career total to six. Thomas surpassed UA grad and current PGA golfer Steve Lowery.
Juniors Bobby Wyatt and Cory Whitsett have also posted strong results this spring, achieving top-10 finishes in two of the squad’s three 2013 tournaments. Despite the team’s successes, head coach Jay Seawell said the team must strive to remain consistent.
“What we need is to continue to do well and maintain our approach,” Seawell said. “We can only control ourselves and what we do. You can’t become too result-minded and lose focus on the shot you have.”
The tournament pits the men’s team against No. 7 Georgia Tech and Southeastern Conference rival Georgia, who is currently No. 10. The field also includes top-25 teams Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
Alabama won the last two Linger Longer Invitational tournaments and finished runner-up in 2010. Whitsett in particular has seen great success, finishing first individually in 2011 and tying for the top spot last year. He said he doesn’t feel any added pressure, though.
“Coach has just been trying to reinforce everything,” Whitsett said. “The quick turnaround from last weekend has been difficult, but as a team we just have to figure out how to do it.”
Wyatt acknowledged the tough stretch of courses Bama has played lately, but stressed that it’s nothing the team hasn’t seen before.
“We’re doing just fine,” Wyatt said. “Coming home, we just really have to maintain what we had going last week. This one is just your same typical Southern golf course.”
As the season rolls on, coach Seawell said he’s been pleased so far with the team’s competitiveness and drive, adding that the talent and consistency has yielded success so far this spring.
Thomas agreed that the team is in a good spot, but warned of potential pitfalls for the team’s psyche.
“The biggest thing right now is probably attitude,” Thomas said. “Positive attitudes are what can help us compete against the top teams, against Cal or Texas.”
Wyatt also stressed the need for a positive mindset, adding that the temperament of one golfer can benefit the team as a whole.
“We just try to help each other and feed off each other’s energy,” he said. “We’re a team first, and we’re going to try to win as a team.”
The men’s golf team gets a brief reprieve after Linger Longer before heading to the Aggie Invitational the weekend after spring break. SEC Championships follow two weeks later.
