This weekend, the Crimson Tide men’s golf team heads to Bryan, Texas to take part in the Aggie Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M University. The team comes into the event having won its last two tournaments, and three of the last four. The No. 2 Tide has been the Golfweek Team of the Week for two straight weeks. However, head coach Jay Seawell said he has warned his team against becoming complacent.
“I think sometimes success can make you relax a little bit,” Seawell said. “We just need to maintain the same focus and discipline we’ve had and forget about what we’ve done.”
This is the team’s last event before the SEC Championships on April 19, but Seawell said he does not want his team to look past this tournament.
“The field is very, very good. When you play great teams it usually energizes you, so I feel pretty comfortable that we’re focused on just this week,” Seawell said.
The 12-team field will present a tough challenge for the Tide, as it includes No. 5 UCLA, No. 6 Washington and No. 8 Duke, as well as five other teams ranked in the top 25, which Seawell said presents a great opportunity for the team.
“We want to see where we stand and understand other teams because if you’re successful, you’re probably going to play some of these teams at the end. It’s nice to get a view of them instead of what you see on paper,” Seawell said.
The course also presents another challenge for the Tide. Unlike the team’s previous tournaments, the Tide has not played Traditions Golf Course before, which puts them at a disadvantage with some of the other teams in the field who are more familiar with the course, such as Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Kent State. A good sign for the Tide is star junior Cory Whitsett. A native of Houston, Texas, he has lived just 90 minutes away from College Station.
“I’ve played there and Trey [Mullinax] has played before, so I’m pretty familiar with it. We’ve done a good job with [preparation] before so I’m not expecting any problems,” Whitsett said.
Whitsett enters the event as the reigning Golfweek Player of the Week and the No. 8 player in the country, one spot behind sophomore Justin Thomas, after taking the individual title at the Linger Longer Invitational.
“Everyone on the team’s been playing great; I’ve been playing well. It’s nice to have everyone on good form this time of year so you don’t have to worry about anything with your game. You just keep doing what you’re doing and prepare well,” Whitsett said.
The tournament tees off Saturday at 7:30 a.m.
