LOXLEY, Ala. – Brooks Rabren posted a 4-under-par 212 total to earn a top-five finish on Sunday and lead the University of South Alabama men's golf team on the last day of the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational.

The junior shot a 2-under-par 70 over the last 18 holes, ending the event — the last for the Jaguars this semester — in a tie for second in the individual standings.  He and three other competitors were two strokes behind medalist R.J. Keur of UAB, who fired a 67 in the final round after playing his first nine holes at 6 under.

Yannick Schütz supplied a 73 and Jason Mendel posted a 74, helping USA record a 293 group total on the last day, moving the Jags into third place as a team with an 879 score.  No. 1 Alabama won the tournament with a 2-over-par total of 866, holding off defending tournament champion Kennesaw State by one shot.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Event (host): Steelwood Collegiate Invitational (South Alabama)
Date: 10/29
Course: Steelwood Country Club (par 72, 7,096 yds)
Live scoring: http://results.golfstat.com//public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=14402

TEAM SCORES
1) Alabama 280-293-293—866 (+2); 2) Kennesaw State 286-293-288—867; 3) South Alabama 289-297-293—879; 4) Kentucky 291-293-297—881; 5) Rice 291-294-302—887; 6) UAB 302-298-291—891; 7) Liberty 297-298-297—892; 8) Southern Mississippi 303-296-301—900; 9) Troy 300-303-300—903; 10) Richmond 306-298-301—905; 11) Wofford 303-299-317—919; 12) Lamar 299-313-321—933.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
1) R.J. Keur, UAB 71-72-67—210 (-6); T2) Brooks Rabren, USA 68-74-70—212; T2) Jonathan Hardee, Bama 69-71-72—212; T2) Pablo Rodriguez-Tabernero, KSU 73-69-70—212; T2) Lukas Euler, UK 70-70-72—212; 6) Wyatt Larkin, KSU 69-75-70—214; T7) five individuals with 217.

SOUTH ALABAMA SCORES
T2) Brooks Rabren 68-74-70—212 (-4); T15) Yannick Schütz 73-74-73—220; T20) Sylas Elliott 71-76-76—223; T27) Jason Mendel 77-75-74—226; T59) Rasmus Karlsson 85-74-80—239; T61) Justin Choi* 80-85-80—245; -) Peter Staalbo* 83-WD-WD—WD.
*denotes competed as an individual

TEE SHOTS
-South Alabama earned its first top-three finish since coming in second place at last spring's opening tournament, the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate, held Feb. 20-21.
-The Jaguars' 293 group score over the final 18 holes matched the Crimson Tide for the third-best round of the day, allowing South to move up two spots — including passing eighth-ranked Kentucky — in the final standings.
-USA was fourth out of 11 schools at the inaugural Steelwood Collegiate Invitational last October.
-The 212 score was the best 54-hole total of Rabren's career, one shot better than his previous low figure recorded on two occasions including the Jaguars' most recent event coming into the weekend, the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate on Oct. 9-10.
-It was the second tournament in row shot that Rabren has shot par or better in two of three rounds.
-Rabren has placed among the top 20 individually in both years of the event's existence after tying for 14th last fall.
-Schütz ended up with his first career top-20 finish after tying for 15th in the individual standings with a 220 three-round total.
-After going the first 13 holes without a birdie, senior Sylas Elliott carded threes on Nos. 14 and 16 — playing at 394 and 359 yards, respectively — to earn his second top-20 result of the season.
-Mendel's score on the final day of play was his best round of tournament.
-Rabren tied for the tournament lead with a 3-under total on par threes, while Elliott was one of just two of the 66 players in the field to play the course's par-four holes below par.
-Rabren also tied for fourth after recording 12 birdies on the weekend.
-Twelve schools participated in the event this fall.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Ben Hannan
On South's performance in the final round: "Today was a very good day for us.  We got off to a pretty solid start as a team, and Brooks had an incredible start making five birdies on the front side and turning in 32.  The conditions were very difficult, playing well early helped as we turned to the back where there were tougher pins; we were able to maintain our placing.  The guys closed well, Sylas played the last five [holes] 2-under par and Jason played them even.  We had guys step up and compete until the end, which is what we've been working on."
On Brooks Rabren's play this weekend: "Brooks loves this golf course, he's played well here including shooting a 66 last year; it's a golf course that suits him.  He is a great ball striker, when he is on he's going to give himself a ton of looks and these greens are so good that if you can have opportunities and get a hot putter you can shoot under par which is what he did.  He had a great week, I'm very happy for him because he's been working hard, hopefully this is a sign of some future results for him."
On taking momentum into the offseason: "From the very start of the fall we've had a couple of injuries and been juggling the lineup.  We played the same lineup the last two tournaments and had success with it, but even so we've got a group of nine guys who have things to work on and get better at.  We will address things individually and work hard to get better, and hopefully that will help the group as a whole.  We're starting next semester at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate on our home golf course where we have played well in the past, if we can close the fall well and get off to a hot start in the spring hopefully it continues to roll and we keep building on each week as we play."

Brooks Rabren
On what he did well in the tournament: "I've always hit it pretty solid — that's the strength of my game and something I can rely on — but my short game was pretty good this week, I had a lot of up-and-downs which is what coach and [graduate assistant] Austin [King] had us working on all semester.  That really paid off this week, I made a lot of good up-and-downs and good putts."
On playing the front nine on the course 8-under par: "I don't know what it is, I just like the front nine out here; most of the holes fit my eye really well.  It doesn't hurt when you hole out for an eagle from death off the tee on No. 1.  I played No. 2 — which is one of the harder par threes we've played all year — at 2 under for the tournament.  Those two things were a big factor.  In two years of playing this tournament I'm 6 under on No. 2 alone, which is a 230-yard par three that is just a beast.  I don't know what it is about it, but I see a lot of the shots that I want to hit and can execute them."
On taking confidence from this weekend's results moving forward: "I showed a lot of glimpses of the golf I know I can play, and can hopefully learn from the mistakes I made today and the past few days to improve on some finishes moving forward."

Up next: The Jaguars will begin the spring season by playing host to the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate at the Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course Feb. 12-13

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Birdie Club — the men's golf specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Birdie Club go directly to support the South Alabama men's golf program. For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/birdieclub.

—USA—