Men's Golf
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Phone:
- 205-348-0383
Jay Seawell not only rekindled the proud tradition of the Alabama Crimson Tide men’s golf program, he has entrenched the Tide into the forefront of the nation’s elite teams, securing back-to-back national championships in 2013 and 2014.
The 17th-year head coach is now charged with sustaining one of the country’s top programs. Over the last seven years, Seawell has guided the Crimson Tide to two national championships (2013 and 2014), two national runner-up finishes (2012 and 2018) and six NCAA championship appearances.
The golf team’s success under Seawell has energized the Tide’s alumni base and created an excitement for Alabama golf not seen in recent memory.
Named The University of Alabama’s head men’s golf coach on July 26, 2002, Seawell’s teams have captured a total of four Southeastern Conference championships, including three over the last seven seasons. He has led UA to 15 NCAA Regional appearances and 11 NCAA Championship berths – all in the past 16 years. His 2012 team reached the NCAA Finals, falling just short to Jordan Spieth and the University of Texas. The Tide used that experience to fuel a return trip to the NCAA Finals in 2013 and 2014. Last season, Seawell guided the Tide to the finals once again, falling short of a third national title. In all, Alabama has reached the National Championship match in four of the last seven years.
Seawell is producing headline-worthy student-athletes on the course and in the classroom while his golfers also are among the most active in the Tuscaloosa community, volunteering their time at schools and helping host athletic department events for local children.
Men’s golf has put 87 players on the SEC Academic Honor Roll in the last 16 years and has seen eight players (16 honors) named to the Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar Team. Joseph Sykora was a three-time Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American and was voted by the league's golf coaches as the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year an SEC-record three times. In 2008, Sykora won the SEC’s H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Award (all sports, all males in the league) and Alabama’s Bryant Award, as the top male student-athlete from any sport. Cory Whitsett then received the 2012 and 2013 NCAA Elite 89 Award, presented annually to the golfer at the NCAA Championships with the highest GPA. He also was named a 2013 and 2014 Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American and the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year while winning the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Award and the Bryant Award in 2014.
Seawell has coached 33 All-Americans during his coaching career with 13 of those coming over a three-year span (four in 2011-12, five in 2012-13 and four more in 2013-14). His golfers at Alabama have been nominated for the sport’s highest national awards, including the Ben Hogan Award, the Jack Nicklaus Award, the Fred Haskins Award, the Phil Mickelson Award and the Byron Nelson Award. Justin Thomas won the Nicklaus, Haskins and Mickelson awards in 2012 and Robby Shelton was named the Mickelson award winner in 2014.
Seawell has coached Alabama to 50 team tournament championships with 38 individual medalists over his 16 years in Tuscaloosa.
The 2017-18 Alabama men's golf team returned to the top of college golf as the team was ranked No. 1 in the nation early in the fall season and finished the year in the national championship match for the fourth time since 2012. Throughout the season, the Crimson Tide won four team titles and finished with an overall record of 143-28-8 (.821). Not only was the team ranked No. 1, but Davis Riley was at one point the top-ranked golfer in the nation, according to the Arnold Palmer Cup rankings.
Alabama reached the SEC championship match and played in the finals at the NCAA championship in 2018, finishing runners-up in both events. Riley and Lee Hodges were each selected as third team All-Americans following the season, while each also earned first team all-district and first team All-SEC accolades on the year.
The Crimson Tide won back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014, the latest by a commanding 4-1 victory over No. 2 Oklahoma State in the NCAA Finals at the Prairie Dunes Golf Club in Hutchinson, Kan. Alabama’s dominant season broke the record for team victories with nine in 12 events during the 2013-14 season. UA also set a school record for winning percentage with a 150-6-2 record for a winning percentage of .956.
Seawell was named the Dave Williams National Coach of the Year and the SEC Coach of the Year in 2014. It was Seawell’s third SEC Coach of the Year Award in as many years and fourth overall.
The Crimson Tide finished tied for second in the stroke-play portion of the NCAA Championships before fighting its way through three rounds of match play with victories over SMU (3-2), LSU (4-1) and Oklahoma State (4-1) in the finals. Alabama also won the school’s fifth SEC Championship, third straight and fourth under the direction of Seawell, with a 16-shot win at the Sea Island Golf Club. The Tide also won its third straight and fourth overall NCAA Regional Championship with a victory in Auburn.
The 2013-14 Crimson Tide team was led by a duo of first team All-Americans: Bobby Wyatt and Shelton. The Tide boasted four All-Americans in all with Trey Mullinax (second team PING and Golfweek) and Whitsett (honorable mention PING and second team Golfweek) both receiving All-America honors. Shelton was also the SEC Player and Freshman of the Year while Whitsett was the league’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The Tide also had a record four first team All-SEC selections.
Alabama’s 2013 NCAA national championship concluded a historic season at the Capstone that saw the Crimson Tide win a school-record eight times in 12 events and post a 154-15-3 cumulative record. Alabama won seven of eight events in the fall, including the final six events.
The Crimson Tide finished tied for third in the stroke-play portion of the NCAA Championships before rolling through three rounds of match play with victories over New Mexico (4-1), Georgia Tech (3-0-2) and Illinois (4-1) in the finals. Alabama also won the school’s fourth SEC championship, second straight and third under the direction of Seawell, with a two-shot win at the Sea Island Golf Club. The Tide also won its second straight NCAA Regional championship with a victory in Baton Rouge.
The 2012-13 Crimson Tide team was led by a trio of first team All-Americans: Whitsett, Wyatt and Thomas. The Tide boasted five All-Americans in all with Mullinax (PING) and Scott Strohmeyer (Golfweek) both receiving honorable mention All-America honors. Whitsett was the SEC Player of the Year and one of the league’s Scholar-Athletes of the Year while winning two times. Thomas, a sophomore, also won twice to set Alabama’s then-career record for victories with six, which was later eclipsed by Shelton's seven tournament wins from 2013-16. Whitsett, Thomas and Wyatt were all selected for the United States 2013 Walker Cup team.
Seawell was named the SEC Coach of the Year for the second time in as many years and third overall while also being named a finalist for the Dave Williams Award (national coach of the year).
The 2011-12 Alabama team captured the SEC Championship, NCAA Athens Regional and a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships. The Tide won the stroke-play portion of the NCAA Championships at Riviera Country Club with a 7-over 859. Alabama then dispatched of Kent State (3-1-1) in the quarterfinals of match play and California (3-2) in the semifinals. The Crimson Tide’s bid for the program’s first national championship fell one match short as the Tide were edged by Texas (3-2) in the NCAA Finals.
Alabama won five of the final seven team events heading into the 2012 NCAA Championships with victories at the Puerto Rico Classic, the Schenkel Invitational, the Linger Longer Invitational, the SEC Championships and the NCAA Athens Regional. The 2011-12 Tide set school records for team season scoring average at 284.56 (.78 vs. par), low round vs. par at 20-under 268 and low 54 holes vs. par 47-under 817.
Seawell was named the SEC Coach of the Year for the second time and was a finalist for the Dave Williams Award (national coach of the year).
Seawell also coached impact freshman Thomas to unseen heights in 2011-12. The rookie from Goshen, Ky., won a school-record four times, including medalist honors at the SEC Championships. For his efforts, Thomas was named the SEC Player and Freshman of the Year and was the first Tide player to be selected as the national player of the year.
Whitsett and Wyatt turned in successful sophomore campaigns in 2011-12. Whitsett won twice, capturing the 2011 Western Refining All-America Classic and the 2012 Linger Longer Invitational. He finished with a 71.38 scoring average and earned second team All-America and first team All-SEC accolades. Wyatt averaged 71.70 strokes per round and was a second team All-American and first-team All-SEC choice, after recording seven top-five finishes. Hamrick wrapped up his decorated Alabama career by earning 2012 honorable mention All-America honors and second team All-SEC plaudits.
Alabama’s 2010-11 team captured five tournament titles and finished outside of the top four only once in stroke play. The Tide posted a 137-24-0 record in head-to-head meetings and had four players ranked in the top 65 of the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index at the end of the season.
Alabama posted a runner-up finish at the SEC Championships and qualified for the NCAA Championships with a third-place finish at the 2011 NCAA Indiana Regional.
