Thomas Ponder

Photo by: Andy Mead/YCJ

Photo by: Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

Career Accolades

One of two Crimson Tide golfers to start in all four tournaments during the fall season (Canon Claycomb) and the only one have all 11 rounds played count towards the team score
Completed the fall season tied for second-most rounds of par or better (7) with an overall stroke average of 71.73 and +0.36 average vs. par
Earned season-best finish tied for fourth at the Steelwood Collegiate with a 4-under-par 212 (70-70-72)
Finished in 16^th overall at the Hamptons Intercollegiate at 1-over par 217 (75-72-70)

SEC Academic Honor Roll
Named to the PING Southeast All-District team
Concluded the season ranked as the No. 73 in the nation, according to Golfweek individual player rankings
Finished the season third on the team in stroke average (71.56), average vs. par (+0.16), rounds of par or better (24) and rounds in the 60s (11)
Collected six top-20 results on the season which included a career-best four top-10 finishes
Opened the year with a season-best second place finish at the Rod Myers Invitational with a 5-under 211 (71-69-71)
Collected a sixth-place finish at the Watersound Invitational with a season-best score of 11-under par 205 (67-71-67)
Had a ninth-place result after carding an even par 210 (68-69-73) at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational
Tied for 58th at the 2023 NCAA Championships, which included a final round of 4-under 66
Carded par or better tournament totals in eight of the team’s 12 events to tie for the team lead
One of only three players to earn a spot on the Tide’s lineup for every event of the year

One of only two golfers to compete in all nine events on the season along with seeing action at the NCAA Regionals
Joined teammate Canon Claycomb as one of two Crimson Tide golfers to be invited to compete individually in the 2022 NCAA Bryan Regional Tournament where he finished tied for 39^th overall with a 6-over 222 (73-73-76)
Finished the year ranked among the top 150 collegiate golfers in the nation (No. 123), according to Golfweek.com's individual rankings
Averaged a 71.67 per round stroke average and a +0.44 average vs. par, both of which ranked second-best on the team
Also ranked second in rounds of par or better (11), rounds in the 60s (8) and top-five finishes
Matched the team lead for top-10 (2) and top-20 (3) finishes on the season which all five top-20 results coming across the Tide's first six stroke play events of the season
Best tournament result came when he finished tied for fifth in the Jackson T. Stephans Cup, shooting 3-over 219 (72-73-74)
Recorded his second top-10 finish when he tied for ninth at the Linger Longer Invitational, collecting a 5-under 211 (74-68-69)
Opened the year with a season-best 54-hole total of 6-under par 204 (69-67-68) at the Maui Jim Invitational to place 19^th overall
Also collected top-20 finishes at the OFCC Fighting Illini Invitational, where he tied for 17^th with a 3-over par 213 (72-69-72) and Cabo Collegiate, finishing in 20^th after carding a 6-under 207 (67-68-72)

One of only two golfers to have played in all 10 tournaments on the year
Earned a spot on the PING All-Region team
Named a second team All-SEC honoree
Ended the season ranked No. 67 in the nation, according to the Golfweek individual rankings
Led the team in stroke play at 71.40 and average vs. par (+0.20)
Collected six top-20 finishes across the Tide's 10 tournaments, while also sharing the team lead for number of par or lower rounds (17) and the best 54-hole score (204)
His eight rounds in the 60s ranked second-best on the team
Had 28 of his 30 rounds (.933) count toward the team total
Finished tied for eighth overall at the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate after carding a career-best 54-hole total of 9-under par 204 (69-70-65) – one of five tournaments in which he finished below par
Also tied for eighth at the Tiger Invitational after collecting a 6-under 210 (73-69-68)
Helped lead the Tide to the Blessings Invitational team title where he finished tied for 12^th overall at 1-over par 217 (70-71-76)
Shot a 3-under par 207 (68-74-65) at the Gator Invitational
Ended play under par in a team-leading five of the 10 tournaments on the year

First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll
Competed in four tournaments, which included three top-30 finishes, and six of the seven events Alabama played on the season
Ranked third on the team in scoring average at 72.50 strokes per round while his +1.25 average vs. par ranked second-best
Led the Crimson Tide with a ninth-place finish at the Puerto Rico Classic, finishing play with a season-best 6-under par 210 (70-69-71)
Finished with a 3-2 record in five matches on the season to rank second-best on the team in head-to-head competition
Captured wins in both of his matches vs. Army in the annual Bush Cup, coming up victorious in the fourball competition alongside Frankie Capan and the head-to-head match
Carded a season-best 18-hole score of 66 in the final round of the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational to finish tied for 30^th overall with a 217 (76-75-66)
That round was the lowest shot by any UA golfer during the fall season
Made his Crimson Tide debut and tied for 18^th at the Carpet Capital Collegiate with a 220 (73-72-75)
After his perfect 2-0 in the prestigious Bush Cup, he finished with a 1-2 mark at the Cypress Point Classic to result in his 3-2 match play record for the year

Ranked as the No. 19 prospect in nation according to Golfweek.com
A three-time AHSAA individual state champion (2017, 2018 and 2019) – one of only five golfers in state history to achieve that feat
Averaged 68.38 strokes per round as a senior which broke the AHSAA single season scoring record held by former UA great Robby Shelton
As a senior, he finished 10 of 13 rounds below par with nine rounds in the 60s, and claimed six medalist honors
Led Providence to back-to-back state runner-up finishes
Named the Dothan Eagle Golfer of the Year for four consecutive seasons (2016-19)
A quarterfinalist at the United States Golf Association Junior Amateur Championship
Finished ninth at the 2018 Future Masters
Owned a 71.06 stroke average in 2018 which included an impressive 67.5 average in the postseason, highlighted by an AHSAA state-tying record 62 at the Class 3A South Sectionals
Won the 2017 Press Thornton Future Masters title