The 2022-23 iteration of the Alabama men’s golf team is set to begin its season this weekend, as the Crimson Tide travels to Durham, North Carolina to compete in the Rod Meyers Invitational hosted by Duke University. 

Longtime Alabama head coach Jay Seawell is looking for a bounce-back season after last year’s team closed the season with a disappointing last-place finish at the SEC Championships. Seawell, who has been with the Crimson Tide since 2002, is no stranger to the highs and lows of any season’s finish. 

The biggest positive coming into the season for Alabama is the return of senior Canon Claycomb. Claycomb was the Crimson Tide’s most consistent golfer last season, and finished the season ranked No. 59 individually per rankings from Golfweek of USA Today. 

Claycomb’s stellar 2021-22 season was highlighted by him being named to the PING Southeast All-District team by the Golf Coaches Association of America. He was also named the SEC Golfer of the Week on Feb. 23. He led the Alabama team in a wide variety of categories last season including stroke average, rounds of par or lower, and rounds under 60. 

Next to Claycomb, senior Thomas Ponder also returns to the fold in 2022-23. Ponder finished last season ranked No. 124 individually according to Golfweek and was Alabama’s second-leading performer for much of the season. He and Claycomb were the only Alabama golfers to compete in all nine events across the season, along with NCAA Regionals.  

Junior JP Cave did not compete in NCAA Regionals with Claycomb and Ponder, but he was the only other Alabama golfer to compete in all nine team events throughout the season. Cave’s biggest asset to the Alabama team last season was his performance in match play, where he went 4-1 on the season. 

Many other regular contributors return for the Crimson Tide as well, including seniors Tyler Lipscomb, Dillon West, Jack Goldasich and Simms Abney. Sophomore Jones Free is also back  after a promising freshman season which saw him chip-in a birdie to clinch the final round of SEC Match Play in his first collegiate tournament last October. 

Alabama’s only loss from last season is Charlie Nikitas, who enrolled at Alabama as a graduate student in January and earned a spot to compete in all five spring events. Seawell looks to offset Nikitas’ loss with incoming freshmen Nick Dunlap and Jonathan Grizz. Grizz was ranked as the No. 10 prep golfer in the country by the American Junior Golf Association. Dunlap, a Huntsville native, was ranked as the No. 1 junior golfer in the country, according to Golfweek.  

Claycomb, Ponder and Cave are sure to see action in every tournament this season once again, but aside from them there is plenty of room for healthy competition between both veterans and young players to compete for a chance at tournament action.  

After the Rod Meyers Invitational this weekend, Alabama will travel to Chicago for the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational hosted by the University of Illinois from Sept. 16-18. The fall schedule will round out with SEC Match Play in Birmingham from Sept. 25-27 and the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate in Alpharetta, Georgia, from Oct. 21-23.

Questions or comments? Email Austin Hannon (Sports Editor) at [email protected]