Alabama men’s golf kicked off its spring season with a runner-up finish at the Watersound Invitational on Monday and Tuesday.
The second-place finish is the Crimson Tide’s best placement since winning the Folds of Honor Collegiate in September.
The team got off to a strong start on Day 1 of the event, finishing the opening round with a 3-under-par 285 that was good enough for third place. Freshman Nick Gross had his best round of the season, shooting a 3-under-par 69 and tying for third place.
Senior Jones Free and junior Jonathan Griz had identical scores, shooting a 2-under-par 70 and finishing the day tied in sixth place.
Due to weather concerns on Wednesday, the tournament was moved up and the final two rounds were played out on Tuesday.
Round 2 saw Free have a stellar performance, shooting a 5-under-par 67 and finishing the round in first place. The Crimson Tide as a whole had an impressive round, carding an 11-under-par 277.
Griz shot an identical score in the second round as he did in the first: 2-under-par 70, which left him tied for sixth. Gross shot a par-72 and was tied for ninth.
In the third and final round, Alabama shot a 3-under 285, which gave the team a total tournament score of 17-under 847 and a second-place finish.
Free and Griz ended up finishing tied for second place with each other, finishing the tournament with a 7-under-par 209. Gross wasn’t far behind, finishing tied for sixth with a 5-under-par 211.
Junior Dominic Clemons finished with a 3-over-par 219 and tied for 41st place, while senior Connor Brown rounded out the Alabama starting five with a 9-over-par 225 and finished tied for 59th.
The Crimson Tide will next travel to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, from March 8 to 10 to play in the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational.
