National Champions: Alabama women’s golf wins its first national championship

Alabama’s women’s golf team entered the final round of the NCAA Championships with one thing on its mind — a first national title. The Tide held a two-shot lead to begin the game over the USC Trojans, but that battle quickly ramped up a notch. Alabama shot a 6-over-par 294 for the day.

The Tide and Southern California battled back and forth for much of the day, and Alabama’s championship ultimately came down to the final hole. Senior Brooke Pancake etched her name into Crimson Tide lore when she nailed a 5-foot putt to secure the Tide’s first ever NCAA Championship.

The Tide finished the tournament with a 6-over-par day on Friday, or a round of 294. Pancake shot a 2-under-par to finish in second place in the individual competition. Oklahoma’s Chirapat Jao-Javanil won the individual championship.

The victory was Alabama’s first NCAA Championship in eight NCAA Championship appearances. With the win, Alabama secured what many people are calling the best year in school history. Alabama now has won three national championships in 2012. Over the course of this year, Alabama has won the BCS National Championship Game in football, the NCAA Championships in gymnastics and now the NCAA Championships in women’s golf.