Alabama claims Steelwood collegiate team championship

LOXLEY, Ala. – For the second time in as many tournaments, the Alabama men’s golf team will come away with the team trophy. After winning the Hamptons Intercollegiate to begin the month of October, the Crimson Tide closed the fall season Sunday afternoon by capturing the Steelwood Collegiate championship with a team total of 11-under par 853 (284-284-285).

It marks the first time since the fall of 2017 that the Tide has won consecutive tournaments. Coincidentally, the last time it happened was the final two fall tournaments that season – the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate and the Steelwood Collegiate.

Alabama was led by Thomas Ponder and Austin Coggin, who each finished below par to close the tournament among the top 10. Ponder closed play tied for fourth overall at 4-under par 212 (70-70-72) while Coggin earned his third-straight top-20 result as he tied for eighth overall at 2-under par 214 (72-70-72).

Alabama competed throughout the event without its top player Nick Dunlap, who rested after recently returning from helping Team USA claim the Eisenhower Trophy for the first time since 2014 at the 2023 World Team Amateur Championship.

Jay Seawell Comments

“I am really proud of the team today and the way they played throughout the week. I think we showed the type depth that we have. We were playing without Nick and Canon (Claycomb) did not have his best tournament, but our guys were still able to win the championship. You have to give credit to these guys. Winning this week is only going to give us confidence moving forward. There are a lot of things to be proud of this fall. Winning back-to-back tournaments to end the season obviously feels really good, but more importantly I think we grew as a team. Our goal is to win championships and gaining confidence while winning without Nick and Canon factoring in really shows what we are capable of doing and the type of team who will be able to compete for more championships this spring.”

Individual Highlights

• Four Crimson Tide golfers finished the day shooting par or better to seal the eight stroke victory
• Austin Coggin, Jonathan Griz and Thomas Ponder each carded even par rounds while JP Cave’s carded a 3-under 69 for the Tide’s low round Sunday
• As a result, three golfers finished among the top-20 individuals including Ponder, Coggin and Griz led the team throughout the two-day, 54-hole event
• Ponder earned his first top-five finish of the year and second top-20 result in as many tournaments (finished t16th at Hamptons Intercollegiate) while Coggin recorded his third consecutive top-20 finish
• Griz closed play tied for 20^th overall at 2-over par 218 (78-68-72) to earn his second top-20 result in three tournaments this year
• Meanwhile, Cave responded after going 7-over through 36 holes played Saturday with a 3-under 69 Sunday to end tournament play tied for 31^st at 4-over par 220 (75-76-69)
• Canon Calycomb rounded out the Tide starters in 45^th position with a 225 (67-76-82)
• Jones Free, one of two UA golfers who competed as individuals, carded a final round score of 6-under 66 and finished tied for 13^th place at 2-over par 216 (75-75-65)
• Luke Coyle also competed as an individual and tied for 54^th overall with a 228 (78-73-77)

Team Highlights

• Alabama won the title by eight strokes ahead of No. 27 Chattanooga (-3) as the two teams were the only in the 14-team field to finish play below par
• As a team, the Crimson Tide led the field in par 3 scoring (+9, 3.15) and par scoring (+8, 4.05) while ranking second in total pars (165) and birdies (50)
• In addition to Alabama and Chattanooga, Memphis (+2) finished in third while Kentucky (+3) and Virginia Tech (+7) rounded out the top five teams
• The Steelwood Country Club course was designed by former Alabama golfer Jerry Pate and was ranked by GolfWeek as “One of the Top Five Private Golf Courses in Alabama” in 2019

Up Next

• Alabama will open the spring season Feb. 19-21 when it competes at the Watersound Invitational, hosted by Florida State

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 X and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.