Tide golf team wins Classic, Swan takes home top individual honors

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University of Alabama golfer Mathew Swan won the top individual honors at the Puerto Rico Classic on Sunday.
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  • RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico | Matthew Swan became the third different University of Alabama golfer to hoist an individual tournament championship trophy this season and his Crimson Tide teammates held up a team tournament championship trophy for the fourth time this season as the Alabama won the Puerto Rico Classic on Sunday.

    The Tide finished at 10-under to finish three shots ahead of No. 5 Oklahoma State. Alabama shot 289-285-280-854 to win its second tournament in a row in just two tournament appearances this spring.

    Swan claimed his first individual tournament championship when he bested the field of 75 individuals with his 12-under finish, winning by five shots over Oklahoma State’s Rickie Fowler, who finished second at 7-under. Swan shot 66-71-670204 to win.

    He became the third different Tide golfer to win an individual championship this season .Joseph Sykora won the Topy Cup, Mark Harrell was co-champion of the Jerry Pate tournament.

    Only one other time in Alabama golf history have three different golfers won individual championships in the same season. Alabama’s 1974 team saw Jerry Pate win two championships and both Alan Pate and Tony Hollifield win individual championships.

    Joining Swan in the top 10 individuals at the Classic was his teammate Michael Thompson. The 2007 U.S. Amateur finalist saved his best round for last, shooting 5-under 67. Thompson finished tied for 10th (74-72-67-213).

    Sykora shot 68 on Sunday and finished tied for 31st (77-75-68-220). Harrell finished tied for 47th (75-67-82-224) and Gator Todd finished tied at 57th (74-75-778-227).

    The field of 15 teams included seven nationally ranked teams, including Alabama. Georgia is ranked No. 1 in both the Golfweek and Golf World rankings. Alabama is No. 2/No. 3. Clemson is No. 16/No. 13; Duke No. 13/No. 12; East Tennessee State No. 24/No. 29; and Georgia Tech No. 6/No. 8 and No. 4/No. 5 Oklahoma State.

    In the final team results, Alabama was first followed by Oklahoma State, (857) Georgia (861), Duke (863), East Tennessee State (867), Michigan (870), Georgia Tech (871), Clemson (875), North Carolina State (876), Virginia Tech (8780, Texas (881), Northwestern (884), Kent State (886), Minnesota (904) and Purdue (911) .

    Alabama’s next event is the March 14-16 E-Z-Go Schenkel Invitational in Statesboro, Ga.



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