Alabama
Chapel Hill NCAA Regional
No. 9 Alabama Comes up One Shot Short, Finishes in Sixth at the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional
5/15/2024 3:04:00 PM | Men's Golf
The Crimson Tide’s season comes to an end after collecting three team victories along with three individual medalists in 2023-24
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The No. 9 Alabama men's golf team carded the second-lowest team score in Wednesday's final round of the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional but ultimately fell one shot short of qualifying for the 2024 NCAA Men's Golf Championships. The Crimson Tide closed the three-day event in sixth place overall with a 14-under par 826 (276-277-273), just one stroke behind Baylor for the fifth and final qualifying spot.
The Chapel Hill Regional saw rain play a major role throughout the week, forcing the teams to play 36 holes on Monday. Alabama had just teed off its third round on Tuesday before play was halted – and eventually suspended for the day – due to inclement weather.
The stoppage didn't slow down Alabama in Wednesday's final 18 holes, as the Crimson Tide carded a 7-under par 276 which tied North Carolina and Georgia Tech for the second-lowest round of the day by any team in the 13-team field (VCU finished at 13-under on the day).
Canon Claycomb led Alabama as he tied for eighth place (-8) while Thomas Ponder (-7) finished a shot back and tied for 12th overall in what would ultimately be their final event for the Crimson Tide.
From Head Coach Jay Seawell
"We had four seniors out there today and I thought our guys did an amazing job this week. We were behind the eight-ball coming into today and we just kept fighting. We were able to pull even down the stretch but just fell a shot short. I am absolutely heartbroken for these guys it hurts right now. This team fought their tails off all season and were able to achieve a lot of things this year. They tried to write their own legacy and they definitely did. How they handled themselves through all the adversity made me very proud to be their coach – one of the proudest I've ever been of any team I've ever coached. The end of the year always stinks but these four seniors really played their tails off today and gave us a chance to make it to national championship."
Individual Highlights
- Canon Claycomb closed the event with a season-best tournament score of 8-under par 202 (65-70-67) to earn his second top-10 finish this year and the sixth of his career
- Meanwhile, Thomas Ponder tied for 12th overall with a 7-under par 203 (67-69-67) for his sixth top-20 finish of the year
- The duo each collected a team-leading 15 birdies in the regional, which tied for seventh-most among all individuals
- Ponder's three rounds in the 60s gives him 11 on the season, tying JP Cave for the team lead
- Cave would finish tied for 34th overall with a 54-hole total of 2-over par 212 (73-70-69)
- Claycomb (43/129), Ponder (46/138) and Cave (36/107) closed their standout careers combining to play in 125 total tournaments and 374 total rounds between the trio
- Jonathan Griz tied for 42nd overall with a 3-over par 213 (71-68-74)
- Austin Coggin, who subbed in for Jones Free in the final round of regional play, carded an even par 70 in his lone tournament action
Team Highlights
- Alabama combined to shoot 4-under par over its final three holes on the day to make a furious rally that would end one shot short
- Clemson, which came into the regional ranked No. 59 in the nation, won the regional at 25-under par, one shot better than East Tennessee State (-24)
- Regional-host and No. 1 seed North Carolina (-20) finished third with Georgia Tech (-17) and Baylor (-15) securing the final two qualifying spots
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
