Milton, GA – Alabama won the NCAA Men's Golf Championship on Sunday with a convincing 4-1 win over Illinois.
It is the first-ever men's golf title for the Crimson Tide, who fell to Texas, 3-2, in last year's match-play finals.
"I'm really satisfied for these guys," said Alabama coach Jay Seawell. "You recruit them and I've known every one of these guys since they were 15 years old."
Bobby Wyatt kickstarted the impressive effort with a 6 & 5 rout of Thomas Detry in the first match at Capital City Club's Crabapple Course. Wyatt won the first seven holes of that showdown, but the next three matches proved more challenging for Alabama.
Trey Mullinax needed 18 holes to secure his 1-up victory over Charlie Danielson, 2-putting from inside 60 feet for par and the win at the last, while Scott Strohmeyer edged Brian Campbell, 3 & 2 with a 3-foot par make at the 16th.
Illinois, which was also seeking its first national title, earned its lone point when 2012 individual champion Thomas Pieters defeated Alabama's top- ranked golfer, Justin Thomas, 1-up.
The final match wasn't as close, however, as Cory Whitsett cruised to a 4 & 3 win over Alex Burge.
"I'm really satisfied for them," continued Seawell. "Last year was pretty hard -- just gut-wrenching. And for the way they handled the entire year, especially in the spring when they just kept saying, 'We want to do this, we want to do this,' really just makes this so satisfying."
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