On Tuesday, the Alabama men’s golf team ended a tournament with milkshakes for the first time in the spring season, signifying a first-place victory.
Led by sophomore standout Jonathan Griz, Alabama won the Linger Longer Invitational at the Great Waters golf course in Putnam County, Georgia. Griz also earned medalist honors, shooting a 13-under-par 203 for the week.
When Nick Dunlap decided to move to the PGA Tour, Alabama undoubtedly lost some star power. Nonetheless, Alabama head coach Jay Seawell believes that Griz is a compelling player with high potential.
“I am very excited for (Jonathan) Griz,” Seawell said. “He has worked so hard and has continued to believe in the plan we have for him.”
The Crimson Tide went wire to wire in the three-day tournament, not giving its lead up to the field once throughout the event.
Griz opened the tournament in Round 1 with a career-best round of 10-under 62, helping propel the Crimson Tide to an early nine-stroke lead and a team total score on Sunday of 21-under 267, the second-best single-round score in program history.
Three other Alabama golfers sat inside the top 10 after Day 1: senior JP Cave, who opened with a 5-under 67; senior Thomas Ponder; and junior Jones Free, who shot a 3-under 69.
The Crimson Tide resumed its dominance on Day 2, firmly holding on to its tournament lead. Griz continued to show out, following up his career-best round with a solid 5-under 67. Cave (70) and Free (68) both had solid second rounds, thrusting themselves into the top five overall. Finally, senior Canon Claycomb followed up an opening round 2-under 70 with a 5-under 67, moving him into a tie for third place with Cave and Free.
On the tournament’s third day, Alabama’s victory in Putnam County seemed all but assured. Its impressive performance on the first two days, with a total score of 267 on Day 1 and 272 on Day 2, would eventually set the record for the lowest rounds by any team in the competition.
Despite this, Alabama still didn’t remove its foot from the gas.
Griz held on to the lead he built in the first two rounds, winning medalist honors, despite a final-round 2-over 74, finishing with the tournament low score of 13-under. Griz fended off two of his teammates for the medalist honors in a close finish.
Cave shot a 3-under 69 in the final round, securing second place with a total score of 10-under. Claycomb, who had been in 17th place after the first day, rallied back with a 2-under 70 in the final round, finishing in third place with an overall score of 9-under. The top three finishers were all from Alabama.
The victory comes after a rough start; Alabama opened its spring season with a disappointing showing at the Watersound Invitational and couldn’t finish the Hayt tournament with a victory after completing the first round with a lead. Seawell expressed satisfaction with the team’s dominance, noting its consistent improvement as the season unfolds.
“I am just really proud of this team,” Seawell said. “They continue to grow and respond to challenges in front of them. To have our guys finish 1-2-3 in the individual standings is just a dominant performance.”
On Monday, Alabama will continue its spring season by participating in the Valspar Collegiate Invitational in Palm City, Florida.
