The Alabama Crimson Tide golf teams represent the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

located in

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population o ...

, and compete in

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA) Division I and the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

(SEC). The Crimson Tide currently has two of the best teams in the country with the men and women consistently ranked inside the top 5 by ''Golfweek''.

History

Men

The Alabama Crimson Tide men's golf program has a rich history that dates back to the program's inception in 1952. That first season saw Crimson Tide golfer Bobby Hill capture the SEC Individual Championship. Michael Thompson (2008),

Justin Thomas Justin Louis Thomas (born April 29, 1993) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and is former World Number One. In 2017, Thomas experienced a breakout year, winning five PGA Tour events and the FedEx Cup championship. ...

(2012), and

Bobby Wyatt Bobby Wyatt (born August 1, 1992) is an American professional golfer. He had a successful amateur career, playing in the 2013 Walker Cup. Youth career Wyatt attended UMS-Wright Preparatory School, graduating in 2010. He shot a 57 at the Alabama ...

are the only other Crimson Tide golfers to win the SEC Individual Championship. The Crimson Tide has won five SEC Tournament Championships (1979, 2008, 2012–2014); appeared in 23 NCAA Tournaments and advanced to the finals 12 times; and have had 13 players garner 21

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

honors. Jay Seawell, the 2008 & 2012 SEC Coach of the Year, arrived in 2002 and has steadily taken the Tide to its greatest height in the programs history. Entering his 11th year at the Capstone, Seawell has established Alabama as one of the elite programs in collegiate golf. The Tide has been routinely ranked in the top 5 in the country while leading Alabama to 10 NCAA Tournaments appearances and four berths in the NCAA Championships. Under Seawell's guidance in 2008, Alabama captured its first SEC Championship since 1979 and its first SEC medalist – Michael Thompson – since Bobby Hill in 1952. Over the past eight years, the Crimson Tide has garnered seven

honors by five players, had eight All-Region selections and 15 All-SEC honors, including 9 first-team choices.

Bud Cauley } William Carl "Bud" Cauley III (born March 16, 1990) is an American professional golfer. Amateur career Cauley was born in Daytona Beach, Florida where he was home schooled by his parents. He was ranked top-five nationally in junior golf and amon ...

, an All-American his three years at Alabama (2009–2011), was named the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2009 and was a finalist for the

Ben Hogan William Ben Hogan (August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997) was an American professional golfer who is generally considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He is notable for his profound influence on golf swing theory an ...

Award. Thompson was also a finalist in 2008. In 2011, Cory Whitsett was named SEC Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-SEC. The 2012 team made it to the final match at the NCAA Championships before losing on the final hole and finishing second. Freshman Justin Thomas was also named the SEC Freshman of the Year and the SEC Player of the Year for the 2012 season. In 2013 the team repeated as SEC Champions and for the second straight season made it to the final match at the NCAA Championships, where they defeated Illinois 4-1 to win the program's first NCAA National Championship. In 2014 the Tide once again won the SEC Championship, with

becoming just the fourth Crimson Tide golfer to win a SEC Individual Championship. The Tide would go on compete in their third consecutive NCAA finals match and repeated as NCAA national champions by defeating Oklahoma State 4–1.

Women

Alabama first had a women's golf team in 1974, but has reached heights of success over the past five years never seen in the program's history. Since his arrival in 2006, Mic Potter has built Alabama into a national contender. The Tide has advanced to the NCAA Championships in each of Potter's eight seasons after the Tide had qualified for the

NCAA Women's Golf Championship The NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship, played in the month of May, is the annual competition in women's collegiate golf for individuals and teams from universities in Division I. Golf was one of twelve women's sports added to the NCAA cha ...

just once in the program's history before his arrival. In 2010, Alabama won the SEC Women's Golf Championship and posted a then school-best third-place finish at the NCAA Championships. In 2011, the Crimson Tide won its first NCAA Regional title in school history, and qualified for the 2011 NCAA Golf Championship at the Traditions Club in

Bryan, Texas Bryan is a city and the county seat of Brazos County, Texas, United States. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley ( East and Central Texas). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 83,980. Bryan borders the city of Colleg ...

, where they finished tied for 8th. In 2012, the Tide won their first-ever

NCAA Championship The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

, when senior

Brooke Pancake Brooke Pancake (born June 6, 1990) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 2012 and after she led the Alabama Crimson Tide golf team to the 2012 national championship. Pancake was a three-time All-American a ...

made a par on the final hole to clinch the title, winning with a score of 1,171 strokes (19-over-par) over four rounds at the Vanderbilt Legends Course in

Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020, its population was 83,454 ...

. The championship was the first for the University of Alabama in a sport other than football or gymnastics. The Crimson Tide continued their success in 2013 where they won the SEC Championship as a team while Stephanie Meadow won the individual title. In 1941, Eleanor Dudley won the women's individual intercollegiate golf championship (an event conducted by the Division of Girls' and Women's Sports (DGWS) — which later evolved into the current NCAA women's golf championship). In 2015,

Emma Talley Emma Ruth Talley (born March 23, 1994) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. While playing as an amateur at the University of Alabama, she won the 2013 U.S. Women's Amateur by defeating Yueer Cindy Feng in the 36-hole f ...

won the NCAA Individual Championship.

Tour professionals

Men

The Crimson Tide has had numerous great players that have come through the program over the years. One of the best known is

Jerry Pate Jerome Kendrick Pate (born September 16, 1953) is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour Champions, formerly on the PGA Tour. As a 22-year-old rookie, he won the U.S. Open in 1976. Early years Born in Macon, Georgia, Pate grew up in the ...

, who has competed in the

Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup Match (not "Matches" as in Ryder Cup Matches). It is ...

, garnered All-America honors, captured the

U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...

, won the U.S. Open, was named PGA Rookie of the Year, and went on to enjoy a successful career on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

and the Champions Tour. Pate also designed Alabama's current home course, Ol' Colony.Jerry Pate Golf Design
/ref> Another successful alum is

2017 PGA Championship The 2017 PGA Championship was the 99th PGA Championship, held August 10–13 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. This was the first major at Quail Hollow, which is a regular stop on the PGA Tour. Early in the week of the tournamen ...

winner and 2017 FedEx Cup Champion

. As of December 2018, Thomas has won 9 times on the PGA Tour. Besides his Major and FedEx Cup, other highlights include

2018 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational The 2018 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational was a professional golf tournament held August on the South Course of Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. It was the 20th WGC-Bridgestone Invitational tournament, and the third of the World Golf Champions ...

and

Dell Technologies Championship The Dell Technologies Championship was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in Norton, Massachusetts, United States, held annually in late summer over the Labor Day weekend. The 2018 edition was the last time the event was staged as th ...

(a FedEx Cup playoff event). Other players that played with the Tide include

Trey Mullinax Trey Mullinax (born June 29, 1992) is an American professional golfer. Mullinax was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended and played golf at Gardendale High School. He played college golf at the University of Alabama where he won two tournam ...

, Steve Lowery,

Spike McRoy Robert Lynn "Spike" McRoy Jr. (born May 20, 1968) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. Early years and education McRoy was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. He got his nickname ''Spike ...

Jason Bohn Jason Duehn Bohn (born April 24, 1973) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. He has won two PGA Tour events. Amateur career Bohn was born in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. In 1992, while a sophomore on the Alabama gol ...

Dicky Pride } Richard Fletcher Pride III (born July 15, 1969) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He previously played on the PGA Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour. Early life Pride was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He attende ...

, David Kirkpatrick,

Mårten Olander Mårten Olander (born 5 November 1971) is a Sweden, Swedish professional golfer. Olander attended the University of Alabama for four years, and was awarded the Ben Hogan Award for the best college golfer in the United States in 1993. He turned p ...

and Michael Thompson. Olander captured the 1993

Award. Besides Jerry Pate, the only other Alabama Crimson Tide golfer thought to earn first team All-America honors is David Kirkpatrick.

Women

Cheyenne Knight Cheyenne Erin Knight (born January 22, 1997) is an American professional golfer. She played collegiate golf at the University of Alabama where she was a three-time all-American and the 2017 SEC Player of the Year and a member of the Psi chapte ...

has the lone victory for former Tide players on the

LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of week ...

. Other LPGA Tour players include

Kathleen Ekey Kathleen Ekey (born November 8, 1986) is an American female professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour. Early life Ekey was born in Cleveland, Ohio on November 8, 1986 to Sam and Laura Ekey. She is a graduate of Walsh Jesuit High Sch ...

Sofia Grönberg-Whitmore Sofia Grönberg-Whitmore (born 25 May 1965) is a Swedish professional golfer. She played on the Ladies European Tour (LET) between 1989 and 2001 and won three LET titles. In 1989 she also won a title on the Ladies Asian Golf Tour and its Order of ...

(who won three times on the Ladies European Tour),

Camilla Lennarth Camilla Lennarth (born 16 June 1988) is a Swedish professional golfer who has played on the Ladies European Tour and U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She won the 2014 Ladies Slovak Open and held the first round lead at the 2013 Women's British Open. Early ...

(one LET win), Stephanie Meadow,

Leslie Spalding Leslie Spalding (born February 22, 1969) is an American professional golfer and golf coach, who played on the LPGA Tour from 1995 to 2005. Early career Spalding was born in Billings, Montana. As a high school student, she was the 1986-87 Montana ...

, and

. The Tide has some success on the LPGA developmental Symetra Tour, with 13 all-time members and four total wins.

Ol' Colony Golf Complex

The Crimson Tide golf team's home course is Ol' Colony, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The course, which opened in 2000, was designed by former Crimson Tide golfer Jerry Pate. The course is a 7,041-yard par 72, and includes the state-of-the-art Jerry Pate Practice Center dedicated to the Crimson Tide golf teams.The Jerry Pate Golf Center
/ref>

References

External links

Official UA men's golf site

Official UA women's golf site
{{University of Alabama