It might not have been the easiest season for the Crimson Tide, but the women’s golf team has had two weeks to get ready for the Southeastern Conference Championship, and looks to enter strongly into its postseason competition.
Held just down the road, the SEC Championship will take place at the Greystone Country Club in Birmingham. This will be the second time the championship will be held in Birmingham because of a five-year contract with the SEC.
Since the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, Alabama has been tuning up the little things at practice to prepare for the SEC Championship. Alabama coach Mic Potter said he didn’t change the team’s practice routine much, instead focusing on what the golf course has to offer.
“I think the biggest difference is that our golf courses are getting into a little better shape, giving us the speed on the greens,” Potter said. “[We have been doing] a lot of work on short game so we know how the ball is going to react when we chip in. And having some pace to the greens is really important to us going to Birmingham and the Founder’s Club, because those greens will be fast and that will be tricky. Fortunately, we’re starting to get some spring weather, which is the biggest thing for us.”
This will be the first time Alabama meets with the entire conference to compete for a spot in the NCAA Regional Championships.
The last time the Crimson Tide went to the SEC Championship it came out on top, shooting 14 over 302. Alabama also won all four awards at the championship, a first in program history.
Potter said the team is familiar with the course.
“Until they contracted it for the first SEC Championship, we played on it a couple of times,” Potter said. “We can’t play it anymore. Some of the girls on the team have played on it a lot; [Hannah] Collier is a member there so she knows it really well. And we’ve had some success there, winning there last year. So hopefully it’ll bring back some good memories and we’ll play well there. But the bottom line is, we still have to execute; we still have to take the shots that the golf course requires.”
The SEC Championship begins Friday and will continue through Sunday.
