Alabama
NCAA Championships
Jennings Finishes Runner Up at 2026 NCAA Men’s Golf Championships
6/1/2026 9:27:00 PM | Men's Golf
William Jennings matches Jerry Pate (1975) for the best individual finish by any UA golfer at the NCAA Championships
CARLSBAD, Calif. – William Jennings made a valiant effort coming back from four strokes behind midway through the final round but fell just short and finished runner up at the 2026 NCAA Men's Golf Championships. Jennings finished the fourth and final round of stroke play at 13-under par 275 (66-70-70-69).
With his result, Jennings matches Jerry Pate (1975) for the best finish by any Crimson Tide golfer at the NCAA Championships in program history. It also caps a fantastic 2025-26 season in which he collected three wins and eight top five results including three runner-up finishes.
Jay Seawell Comments
"I'm just so proud of William. He's a winner. He may have fallen a shot short today, but he's a terrific player and has had a great year. I thought he was able to fight through some adversity early in the round. He came out a little shaky early but instead of folding, his attitude was that he came here to win a national title and not come up just short. That's what makes him a winner and I'm excited to have that winning attitude a part of Alabama golf. That's who he is and what we need more of, and I am looking forward to building off of it. I do hurt for him right now because I know this is something that he wanted badly to win. Even though he didn't pull it off, he made us coaches, his teammates and our Alabama fans proud with the resiliency and determination he showed."
William Jennings Comments
"I had a really good week and thought I did a lot of things well. I managed myself properly throughout the 72 holes and was happy about that. I did a lot of things well and played disciplined golf for the most part. After I made the double bogey early in the round, I knew I had to put it in gear and just start firing at pins. I told coach (Jay) Seawell that I wasn't here to finish third or fourth, but I came here to win a national title and that's what I was planning to do. I got hot and gave it a run but came up just short. Overall, there's a lot of good things to take away but it just sucks to come up short."
Round Four Highlights
- Teeing off his round on the 10th hole for a third consecutive day, Wiliam Jennings opened with a birdie on No. 10, but after a par on 11, he bogeyed No. 12 and followed that with a double bogey to fall to 2-over par through his first four holes
- Jennings showed resiliency, however, collecting birdies on No. 16 and No. 18 to make the turn at even par
- He continued that momentum with a stretch of three birdies in four holes, securing them on Hole No. 2, No. 4 & No. 5 to drop to 3-under for the day and bring him within a stroke of the leader
- A birdie on the par 3 16th hole moved Jennings into a first-place tie with one hole left to play
- He would then go on to bogey the final hole of the day, resulting in the runner-up finish to Oklahoma State's Preston Stout
Season Highlights
- Became the fourth Alabama's men's golfer in program history, and first since 2013, to win an NCAA Regional championship (Marana Regional)
- Earned three first-place finishes this season which is tied for the second-most individual wins in a year in program history (Fall of Honors Collegiate, Ben Hogan Collegiate, NCAA Marana Regional)
- Boasts eight top five finishes across Alabama's 12 tournaments played on the year, highlighted by three first place finishes and three runner-up results
- A finalist for the 2026 Haskins Award
- Named to United States Palmer Cup Team which will take place in early-July
- Named Ben Hogan Award September Golfer of the Month
- In addition to having 29 of his 37 rounds played on the year at par or better, Jennings also led the Tide with 15 total rounds in the 60s
