Alabama
Folds of Honor Collegiate
Alabama Opens Season by Winning the Folds of Honor Collegiate, Clemons Claims Medalist Honors
9/11/2024 8:13:00 PM | Men's Golf
Dominic Clemons becomes first Alabama golfer since Justin Thomas to earn medalist honors in his first tournament with the Crimson Tide
GRAND HAVEN, Mich. – The No. 16-ranked Alabama men's golf team opened the season in grand fashion by claiming the season-opening Folds of Honor Collegiate team championship. The Crimson Tide finished the three-day, 54-hole event at 12-under par 840 (275-288-277), defeating No. 9 Illinois (-5) by seven strokes.
Junior golfer Dominic Clemons shined in his debut for the Crimson Tide, winning medalist honors to become the first Alabama golfer to win in his debut tournament for the Tide since freshman Justin Thomas claimed the crown at the Carpet Capital Collegiate to open the 2011-12 season. Additionally, the team title marks the first time Alabama has opened the season with a win since capturing The Blessings Invitational in 2020.
The championship was certainly a team effort as senior Jones Free, who carded an 80 in round two, shot the lowest round of the day by any individual in round three carding a career-best 7-under par 64 to help propel the Tide to claim the trophy.
Jay Seawell Comments
"First off, this was a very special tournament, and you could feel that from the moment we arrived. We are honored to be a part of this event. Folds of Honor is an incredible organization that helps many families of military heroes, and we were told they have helped 737 young folks attend the University of Alabama on scholarships. To have that perspective to start our season is something that's very special for our team.
"As for the tournament, I thought our guys played tough and went toe-to-toe with one of the top programs in the country in Illinois. We knew it was going to be a fight and our guys withstood the challenge, fought through adversity and I couldn't be prouder of the effort. People will see we won the tournament today, but we really put ourselves in position to win by the we played the final three holes of the second round. I thought Jones was terrific today and really showed great leadership. For Dominic to come in and win his debut tournament was clutch, and I am so proud of him. He came to Alabama for exposure and to show he can compete with the best and he certainly proved that this week."
Tournament Highlights
- Dominic Clemons claimed the individual title with a 9-under par 204 (69-66-69) which included three consecutive rounds in the 60s to open his Alabama career
- Clemons won by one stroke over Texas' Tommy Morrison (-8) and finished his final round with only one bogey compared to three birdies
- Jack Mitchell (64-77-70) and Jonathan Griz (69-68-74) also recorded top-10 finishes as both recorded seventh-place results at 2-under par 211 to help lift the Crimson Tide to victory
- Senior Jones Free has the most important round of the day as the senior carded the lowest round of any golfer in the 75-man field on Wednesday
- Free collected a team-best eight birdies compared to just one bogey on his way to topping his career-best 18-hole score by two shots
- As a result, Free vaulted from 47th place where he started the day to closing play tied for 16th overall with a 4-over par 217 (73-80-64)
- Nick Gross rounded out the starting five in 55th place with a 230 (76-77-77)
Players Mentioned
