College Golf Update: Alabama Wins In Puerto Rico. Nope, Not Texas This Time.

Puerto Rico Classic

Rio Mar Country Club played host to a myriad of college golf’s best teams this past weekend just outside of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Texas Longhorns, Clemson Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Purdue Boilermakers, Georgia Bulldogs, Oklahoma State Cowboys and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets headlined this week’s field. The surprise of the event…? The Texas Longhorns did not win. I know, confusion is running rampant through your mind, but in fact, it was the Alabama Crimson Tide who took home the gold medal with an aggregate score of 30-under par. They snapped a 4 tournament winning streak for the Longhorns (yes, snapping winning streaks in college golf is rare). It is worth taking note that Jordan Spieth was not in the Longhorn lineup as he was playing at the site of the 2012 NCAA Division I National Championship, Riviera Country Club in the Northern Trust Open. He missed the cut in his sponsor’s exemption at +5.

The individual winner was again the Alabama freshman Justin Thomas, adding to his incredible 2011-2012 golf season. Thomas fired a -10 score, shooting 67-71-68, giving him a one shot victory over Oklahoma State’s Talor Gooch. Alabama stormed away from the crowd of competitors, winning the event by a total of 18 strokes over Clemson who finished second.

Here are some of the final standings for the event.

Teams:
1. Alabama -30 834
2. Clemson -12 852
3. Purdue -8 856
4. Georgia Tech -3 861
5. NC State -1 863
6. Texas +3 867

Individuals:
1. Justin Thomas, Alabama -10
2. Talor Gooch, Oklahoma State -9
3. James White, Georgia Tech -8
4. Trevor Cone, Virginia Tech -5
5. Bobby Wyatt, Alabama -5

Northrop Grumman Regional

As the top teams in Men’s golf played over the weekend, the nation’s top female teams competed early last week in Palos Verdes, California. The top team in the country –the UCLA Bruins – took home the crown finishing 12 shots clear Southern Cal. Three teams in the top ten (UCLA, USC, and Arizona State) played along with an additional four teams ranked in the top 25.

Duke’s Lindy Duncan won the individual crown, finishing with a 3 under total of 210. This gave the Fort Lauderdale, Florida native her 4th collegiate victory of her career. Click here for the full leaderboard and click here for the GolfStat summary of the Bruins’ victory.

Exciting action is heating up nationwide with March around the corner. These collegiate athletes will be dominating the amateur ranks for the following years, with potential professional stardom in their grasps. Don’t blink, you’ll miss it.

Troy Klongerbo