The Alabama women’s golf team finished second at the Pac-10/SEC Challenge this weekend, the last tournament on its fall schedule. The team is currently ranked No. 1 according to the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index and the Golf World/NGCA Coaches’ Poll.
After the first round of the tournament this past weekend, the Crimson Tide was in sixth place. The team would gain four spots after the second round, with junior Brooke Pancake leading the team in a bogey-free round of 2-under-par 69.
“Good players always rise to the top,” said head coach Mic Potter. “There are going to be days in team golf where two or three players may not play their best, which is what happened on the first day, but good competitors come back from that and get themselves back in the picture. We really just [gained our position] with steadiness.”
After the second round, the team couldn’t maintain its fast pace, but ended up staying in second place.
Potter and the team said they believe they could have advanced further, but the conditions presented a challenge for them.
“The first two days were actually pretty decent at 70 degrees and not much wind,” Potter said. “The last day was rainy, cold and miserable. That made what was already thick rough even thicker with the moisture in it. The last day was a very difficult day.”
Pancake, who finished tied for 10th at 3-over-par 216, led the team in the final results of the tournament.
“It was a hard golf course,” Potter said. “[Pancake] is a pretty good driver of the ball, so she’s able to keep it out of the rough more than a lot of the players. She’s been very consistent and performed well.”
After the first round, sophomore Jennifer Kirby and freshman Stephanie Meadow were tied for ninth place at even-par 71, carrying the Tide. Kirby finished tied for 13th at 4-over-par 217, only one shot behind Pancake. Meadow finished tied for 16th at 5-over-par 218.
“It was a pretty difficult course,” Kirby said. “One of the hardest ones we’ve played all year. I felt pretty good about my score and placed pretty well.”
During the time they have off during the winter, the team plans to practice and maintain their strengths while improving on their weaknesses.
“Now is the time that they really have to work hard on improving their golf swings or anything mechanical that you really don’t want to change while you’re in the competition season,” Potter said. “The girls will hopefully be ready to perform and compete by the second week in February.”
The Tide will begin its spring schedule on Feb. 13-15 at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. The team will be defending last year’s title, though the course is different from last year.
“I think we have a good chance of winning in Puerto Rico again,” Kirby said. “We all have a good time when we travel there and we are definitely capable of defending our title there.”
