Oct. 26, 2008

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - UAB senior golfer Zack Sucher closed play tied for second overall to lead the men's golf team at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate. As a team, the Blazers closed the 54-hole tournament in ninth overall with an 888 (293-297-298) on the par-72, 7,147-yard Ridges Golf Course.

"This was a very competitive field and we didn't play our best golf," UAB head coach Alan Kaufman said. "At the same time, we beat three ranked teams and had our chances."

Sucher closed out the fall season by recording his second top-three finish in five tournaments this fall. The Mobile, Ala. native finished the event with a one-under par 215 (71-72-72) and recorded 12 of 15 rounds at par or below in the five UAB tournaments this season. The second-place result was Sucher's ninth top-three finish during his standout career.

Sucher was not the only Blazer who played well over the weekend. Sophomore Blake Watts finished the three-day total with a career-best ninth-place finish. Watts recorded career-lows for 18 (71), 36 (144) and 54-hole totals (217) during the three-day event.

Sophomore Jason Shufflebotham closed the event tied for 46th overall with an 11-over 227 (74-77-76), while junior Adam West tied for 62nd with a 232 (78-77-77). Junior Blake West rounded out UAB in 74th overall with a 247 (75-86-86). Junior John Darby, who played as an individual and his score did not count toward the team total, finished the tournament with a 10-over 226 (74-76-76) to tie for 44th overall.

Coastal Carolina came from behind to edge tournament host and 33rd-ranked East Tennessee State (870), along with eight other ranked teams, to claim the team title by one stroke with a five-over 869. Wake Forest, ranked No. 39, finished in third with an 871, while No. 22 North Carolina State (875) and No. 36 Ole Miss (877) rounded out the top five.

North Carolina State's Darren Blair captured the individual crown, finishing a 6-under in the three-day tournament, five strokes ahead of second-place Sucher and five others tied for second.

The event marked the final fall tournament for the UAB men's golf team. The Blazers finished the fall campaign with two top-three finishes and four top-10 results in five tournaments this season. UAB will next be in action when it starts the spring season at the Gator Invitational on Feb. 14-15, 2009.