Alabama
Cabo Collegiate
Alabama Finishes 14th at Cabo Collegiate with a 4-Under Par 848
3/1/2022 6:07:00 PM | Men's Golf
The Crimson Tide improved each round (286-282-280) in the 15-team field that featured nine teams ranked among the top-30 in the nation
CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico – Alabama junior Canon Claycomb carded a 2-under par 69 in Tuesday's final round of the Cabo Collegiate to finish in a tie for 12th place and lead the Crimson Tide men's golf team. The Tide improved its score each day over the 54-hole event (286-282-280), to finish 14th overall with a 4-under par 848.
Claycomb, the reigning SEC Men's Golfer of the Week, finished with a 7-under par 206 (68-69-69) to result in his second consecutive top-15 finish and third top-20 result of the season. He has now recorded six consecutive rounds in the 60s as well as the two lowest 54-hole totals of his career in the first two tournaments of the spring.
Junior Thomas Ponder recorded his 11th top-20 finish of his career after carding a 207, carding back-to-back rounds in the 60s to open the event (67-68-72).
Tuesday's highlights included Charles Nikitas, who fired a 3-under par 68, including an eagle on the 327-yard par 4 third hole, which was the Tide's lowest round of the day. Claycomb, Nikitas and Simms Abney all shot even par or better on the par-71, 6,807-yard Cabo del Sol – Cove Club Course.
Head Coach Jay Seawell Comments
"I'm disappointed in our finish. We know we're a better team than that. Unfortunately, we could not line up a third or fourth scorer consistently throughout. If you're going to compete against some of the top teams in the nation, then you're going to need to have that. We're disappointed. We're going to regroup when we get home and work on the things we believe we can correct. If we play well and do the right thing, then we can be a good team. I'm proud of the way Canon and TP played these last two tournaments. They have played some really good golf against some really good players. We look forward to building off that and know that we have good things in our future."
The Highlights
- After finishing with a 14-under par and claiming medalist honors at the Watersound Invitational last weekend, Claycomb is now a combined 21-under par across the Tide's first two tournaments
- Claycomb and Ponder both finished the tournament in the top 20 of the 78-person individual field
- Claycomb's 12th place finish is the fifth top-15 finish of his career
- The junior's final round 69 marked the 13th of his career
- Nikitas finished tied for 54th place overall with a 216 (76-72-68), improving by four strokes each round
- Nikitas shot 4-under par over a three-hole stretch, carding back-to-back birdies on hole no. 1 and no. 2 followed by an eagle on the par-4 no. 3
- His final-round 68 is his first round in the 60s competing for the Tide
- Abney shot even-par 71 in Tuesday's final round, concluding the tournament at 7-over par 220 (76-73-71) to finish tied for 62nd
- JP Cave rounded out the Tide's lineup tied for 72nd at 12-over par 225 (75-76-74)
The Field
- No. 21 Vanderbilt claimed the tournament title with a 32-under par 820, finishing two strokes ahead of No. 6 Texas Tech (281-271-262/822)
- The Seminoles finished in third place with an 823, just one stroke back of Texas Tech, followed by No. 7 Arkansas at 28-under par 824 and No. 16 Ole Miss at 22-under par 830 to round out the top five teams
- The 15-team tournament field is headlined by six of the top 10 teams in the nation: No. 2 Arizona State, No. 3 Oklahoma State, No. 6 Texas Tech, No. 7 Arkansas, No. 8 Stanford and No. 10 Tennessee
- The 78-person individual field features 21 of the nation's top 100 golfers, according to Golfstat.com.
Next Round
- The Tide will continue its spring slate at the Linger Longer Invitational on March 20-22.
- The three-day, 54-hole event will be contested on the Reynolds Lake Oconee course in Greensboro, Ga.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaMGolf on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
