Alabama
NCAA Regionals
Alabama Men’s Golf Claims Norman Regional Title, Advances to the NCAA National Championships
5/17/2023 5:38:00 PM | Men's Golf
All five Crimson Tide golfers finish among the top-25 individuals to lead the Tide to its fifth regional title in school history and first since 2014
NORMAN, Okla. – For the fifth time in school history, and first time since 2014, the Alabama men's golf team has claimed a regional championship. All five Crimson Tide golfers finished among the top 25 individuals to help capture the NCAA Norman Regional Men's Golf on Wednesday afternoon with a combined team total of 28-under par 836 (281-280-275).
As a result, the Crimson Tide will advance to the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships hosted by Arizona State University in Scottsdale, Ariz. at the Grayhawk Golf Club, from May 26-31.
The last time an Alabama men's golf team won an NCAA Regional came in 2014 when the Tide captured the Auburn Regional. The other three regional titles include 2009 Galloway (N.J.) Regional, 2012 Athens (Ga.) Regional and 2013 Baton Rouge (La.) Regional. The Tide went on to win the national championship in 2013 and 2014.
Head Coach Jay Seawell Comments
"It feels great and I am so proud of the guys. Our guys really responded to that challenge all week. We got off to a great start, which is something we talked about and was needed. I thought we hit a little hiccup midway through, but we overcame it and finished strong, especially on the closing holes. I could not be prouder of our team. I am really happy for Jonathan Griz and the way he played shooting 6-under today. He has had some freshman growing pains this season, but he is so coachable and does things the right way. So, to see what he did for us today and help us secure the win is a real treat for him and for us.
"Having all five guys contribute I think is a big reason why won today. We could feel that energy all week. The loss to Vanderbilt (SEC Tournament Match Play Quarterfinals) hurt and I wondered how our guys would respond. I tell them all the time that the road to greatness comes through getting hurt and our guys really responded. I really feel the success this week came from confidence we gained after losing that match. We were determined not to feel like that again. The talk all week was not ever about just qualifying but winning. And when you have teams that start taking that kind of mind set, that's when you know it can be special. So, we are looking forward to celebrating and enjoying it tonight and getting right back to work when we return home."
Individual Highlights
- All starting five UA golfers finished under par for the three-day, 54-hole Norman Regional
- Of the Tide's 15 total rounds played across the three rounds, only one was over par while 10 were played under par
- Nick Dunlap led three Crimson Tide golfers who finished inside the top 15 with a 9-under par 207 (66-71-70) to place in fourth overall
- It marked his third top-five finish, sixth top-10 result and ninth time he recorded a top-20 showing across the Tide's 11 tournaments on the year
- Dunlap finished tied for second among all players in par 4 scoring (-6, 3.80)
- Canon Claycomb joined Dunlap inside the top 10 as he tied for ninth overall at 7-under 209 (71-69-69)
- Claycomb has now recorded a team-leading 25 rounds (out of 33 played this year) of par or better on the season
- Jonathan Griz had the best round of any Crimson Tide golfers as he collected six birdies without a bogey to finish at 6-under par 66 Wednesday
- As a result, Griz tied for 11th overall with a three-round total of 6-under par 210 (74-70-66)
- JP Cave (72-70-72) and Thomas Ponder (72-72-70) tied for 28th position overall with identical scores of 2-under par 214
Team Highlights
- The Crimson Tide has now advanced to nationals 12 times under head coach Jay Seawell, and 21 times in program history
- In each of Alabama's last two NCAA Regional championships (2013 and 2014) the team has went on to win the national title on each occasion
- It marked the Crimson Tide's third team tournament title this year (Rod Myers Invitational and Linger Longer Invitational)
- The 17th-ranked Tide entered as the regional's No. 3 seed and secured the three-shot win over tournament host and No. 9-ranked (No. 2 seed) Oklahoma (-25)
- Colorado (-23) finished third with No. 5 (No. 1 seed) Texas Tech (-22) and No. 32 Duke (-21) rounding out the top five to secure their place at the NCAA Championships
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaMGolf, on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
