SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Coming off a victory at the Norman Regional last week, the No. 14 University of Alabama’s men’s golf team has turned its attention to its final event of the year when it tees off the 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championships. The championships will take place May 26-31 at the par 70, 7,289-yard Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The Crimson Tide will be paired alongside No. 13 Texas A&M and No. 15 Virginia across the opening two rounds of play Friday and Saturday. The teams will tee off the opening round at 2:25 p.m. CT (12:25 p.m. PT) off Hole No. 10 and go off No. 1 at 9:05 a.m. CT (7:05 a.m. PT) in round two.
The tournament appearance will mark the Tide’s 21st all-time, with 11 coming under head coach Jay Seawell, and the first since 2018. During this span, Alabama has collected two back-to-back national championships in 2013 and 2014, while also finishing runner-up in 2018.
The Lineup
- The Tide’s starting five will include Canon Claycomb, Nick Dunlap, Thomas Ponder, Jonathan Griz and JP Cave, while Jones Free will serve in the team’s alternate
- Ranked No. 21 in the nation according to Golfweek.com’s individual player rankings, Nick Dunlap has finished in the top-20 in nine of the Tide’s 11 events of the year, including leading UA with a fourth-place finish (-9) at the Norman Reginoal
- Dunlap leads the team in overall average strokes per round (70.39), average vs. par (-1.06) and rounds in the 60s (15)
- Canon Claycomb (No. 36, 70.67) and Thomas Ponder (No. 78, 71.24) are also among Golfweek.com’s top 80 golfers in the nation and both enter the field averaging under 72.00 strokes per round
- Finishing tied for 11th at the Norman Regional, Jonathan Griz enters the championship field with an overall stroke average of 72.42
- Griz has played 13 rounds at par or better, including a final round score of 6-under par 66 at the Norman Regional to help secure the regional championship for the Tide
- JP Cave rounds out the Tide’s starting lineup following his 2-under par performance (T28th) at the Norman Regional
- Cave collected three rounds of par or better in regional action, giving him 13 rounds of par or better carded across eight events in which he’s seen action
The Format
- The format and broadcast schedule for the NCAA Championships are as follows:
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Date
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Format
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Live on Golf Channel
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Friday, May 26
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Stroke Play Round One (2:25 p.m. CT – No. 10)
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Saturday, May 27
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Stroke Play Round Two (7:05 a.m. CT – No. 1)
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Sunday, May 28
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Stroke Play Round Three (cut to top 15)
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Monday, May 29
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Stroke Play Round Four (cut to top eight)
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4-8 p.m. CT
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Tuesday, May 30
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Match Play Quarterfinals
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12-2:30 p.m. CT
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Match Play Semifinals
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4-8 p.m. CT
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Wednesday, May 31
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Match Play Finals
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4-8 p.m. CT
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NCAA Men’s Golf Championship Information
- The Crimson Tide will compete in its warmest temperatures all season this week, as Scottsdale is projecting between 93-101 degrees with sunny and clear skies Friday through Wednesday.
- Alabama earned the 14th seed in a 30-team field, which includes nine teams from the Southeastern Conference. The field and their seeds consist of:
- Vanderbilt
- North Carolina
- Illinois
- Arizona State
- Texas Tech
- Stanford
- Florida State
- Pepperdine
- Florida
- Oklahoma
- Georgia Tech
- Auburn
- Texas A&M
- Alabama
- Virginia
- Texas
- Mississippi State
- Oregon
- Colorado State
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Arkansas
- Baylor
- Duke
- East Tennessee State
- BYU
- San Francisco
- Chattanooga
- New Mexico
- Colorado
- The championships will be contested on Grayhawk Golf Club’s Raptor Course for the third and final year, as the Tom Fazio-designed course will play as a 7,289-yard par 70 trek throughout tournament action
- Both men’s and women’s golf championships will move to Carlsbad, Calif., and the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa – Champions Course for the next three years (2024-26_
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaMGolf, on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.