Alabama
Linger Longer Invitational
Four Golfers Among Top Five Individuals to help Alabama Maintain Dominant Lead at the Linger Longer
3/18/2024 4:23:00 PM | Men's Golf
Jonathan Griz remains in first with JP Cave, Canon Claycomb and Jones Free all tied for third after 36 holes
GREENSBORO, Ga. – The No. 16 Alabama men's golf team increased its lead in the Linger Longer Invitational behind four Crimson Tide golfers scoring sub-par rounds during Monday's second round of play. As a result, the Tide now owns a commanding 16-stroke advantage on the field heading into final round action with a two-day team total of 37-under par 539 (267-272).
With the mark, Alabama, the defending champions of the event, set the second-lowest team total after 36 holes in school history in relation to par (-37) while the team's two-round total ranks as the fourth-lowest mark in the record books.
Individually, Jonathan Griz continues to shine as he followed his 10-under 62 on Sunday with a 5-under par 67 Monday for a 36-hole total of 15-under par 129. Additionally, JP Cave (67-70), Canon Claycomb (70-67) and Jones Free (69-68) are all tied for third at 7-under 137, giving UA four golfers inside the top-five spots.
The three-day, 54-hole event, hosted by Kennesaw State, will conclude with final round action Tuesday at the par 72, 7,436-yard Great Waters Golf Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Ga.
Round Two Highlights
- For the first time this season, all five individuals in the lineup are below par through 36 holes played
- Following his 10-under par 62 Sunday – the second-best score in relation to par in school history – Jonathan Griz continued his hold on first place with a second-round total of 5-under par 67
- Griz owns a seven-shot lead over Hiroshi Tai of Georgia Tech (-8) entering final round action
- Griz leads the field in total birdies (14) and scoring on par 4 holes (3.60, -8)
- Jones Free collected consecutive rounds in the 60s for the first time in his career resulting in a career-low 36-hole total of 7-under 137 (69-68)
- Free also leads the field in par 3 scoring (2.50, -4)
- JP Cave and Canon Clayomb also recorded back-to-back sub-par rounds to pull even with Free for third position overall
- Thomas Ponder rounds out the Tide's starting five as he is in a tie for 23rd with a two-round score of 2-under par 142
- Additionally, Austin Coggin, who is competing in the event as an individual, finished with a two-day total of 1-under 143 (71-72) and is in a tie for 32nd place
Team Highlights
- Alabama holds a 16-shot lead over No. 13 Virginia (-21) entering the tournament's final round
- No. 27 Georgia (-19) is in third, with No. 47 UNC Greensboro (-17) and No. 14 Georgia Tech (-16) rounding out the top five teams
- Following its 24 birdies recorded in round one, the Crimson Tide responded with 28 additional birdies to lead the field with 52 total birdies across 36 holes
- The Tide also leads the field in par 3 (-8, 2.80) and par 4 (-17, 3.83) scoring average
- Live stats throughout the tournament can be found on Golfstat.com
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaMGolf, on X, Facebook and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama
Players Mentioned
