May 29, 2008

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The UAB men's golf team is tied for 17th overall following day one of the 2008 NCAA Men's Golf Championships at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Course. The Blazers carded a first round score of 21-over par 311, but are just five strokes back of ninth place in the 30-team field.

"This golf course is by far the toughest we have played all season," UAB head coach Alan Kaufman said. "It is relentless. You cannot make a mistake because if and when you do, it is unforgiving. The good thing is, every team is playing the same course and having difficulty with it. We just need to continue to learn from our mistakes and improve each round."

Sophomore Adam West continues his terrific play. Following his performance at the NCAA East Regional where he shot a career-best four-under par 209, West carded a two-over par 74 during the opening day and is in a tie for 10th overall heading into Thursday's second round.

West, a native of Montgomery, Ala., led the field after his opening eight holes by recording two birdies and no bogeys. However, he recorded only one par, three birdies and five bogeys over his next nine holes. Despite the tough stretch, West began his final hole of the day at even par and tied for fourth overall. But his double bogey on the 484-yard par 4 ninth hole resulted in his first-round score.

Senior Brad Smith had a strong finish on Wednesday, which he hopes will give him momentum entering Thursday's second round. Smith birdied his first hole of the day, the 607-yard par 5 10th hole, but was at five-over par overall entering his final three holes on the day. The Adelaide, South Australia native then birdied the seventh and eighth hole and made a terrific par save on the ninth hole to finish at three-over par for the round (75). He is in a tie for 23rd overall entering the second round of play.

Junior Zach Sucher entered the nationals on a roll having won three consecutive collegiate tournaments, but the nation's 16th-ranked player had a tough time on the challenging course. Sucher recorded only two birdies on the day and tied a season high with a seven-over par 79 and is in 87th overall.

Junior Mike Oimoen closed his round with an 11-over par 83, while senior Kyle Sapp could not rebound from a bad start (five-over par through his opening three holes) and closed play with a 12-over par 84.

Even though the Blazers struggled as a team, they are just two shots back of the cut line entering the second round. Only the top 15 teams through three rounds advance to Saturday's final 18 holes.

Just three teams shot below 300 throughout the day on the par 72, 7,450-yard Birck Boilermaker Kampen Course. USC, ranked No. 1 in the nation, and UCLA, ranked fifth, are tied for first overall after shooting a 297, while fourth-ranked Oklahoma State is in third after carding a 298 during Wednesday's opening 18 holes. Kent State, ranked No. 27, and No. 10 Clemson round out the top five with a 301.

UCLA's Kevin Chappell, who entered the championships ranked fourth in the nation, leads the field with a three-under par 69. He is one of only three players to finish under par for the day. Kent State's David Markle and USC's Tim Sluiter are tied for second with a two-under par 70.

UAB will begin the second round with a 7:47 a.m. ET (6:47 a.m. CT) tee time on Thursday. Live stats can be found by going to purduesports.com and clicking on the 2008 Golf Championships logo on the right side of the page. UABSPORTS.com will also be conducting a live blog during the event, which can be accessed by clicking on the link on the front page of the website, or on the right side of the UAB men's golf home page.