Bama Central

Crimson Tide Golf Closes SEC Match Play Hosted by Jerry Pate with 18th-Hole Chip-In

Freshman Jones Free highlights final day of tournament as Alabama defeats Ole Miss 3-2 for third straight win
Christopher Walsh|
Alabama Athletics

Alabama freshman Jones Free chipped-in for birdie on the 18th hole to secure a 1up victory and the clinching point in the Crimson Tide’s 3-2 win over Ole Miss in Tuesday’s final round of SEC Match Play hosted by Jerry Pate. 

With the win, Alabama finished the four matches across three days with a 3-1 record, including three consecutive victories.

“How about that?" Crimson Tide coach Jay Seawell said. "An 18-year-old Jones Free making a chip-in on No. 18 in his collegiate tournament debut. He was doing what freshman do. He would be doing great for a while and then he’d give a hole away. To his credit, he’s not scared. 

"His opponent hit a great second shot and Jones needed to hit a great chip and that’s exactly what he did. That’s a credit to Jones and something we practice every day, so I am just really proud of him and the rest of our guys for finishing this event strong.”

Free squared off against Ole Miss’ Evan Brown in a back-and-forth affair that featured both golfers holding as much as a two-hole lead. The Selma, Ala., native held a 2up advantage through 13 holes before Brown won holes 14 and 15 to draw even, setting up Free’s winning shot.

Canon Claycomb and JP Cave also won their matches to earn the Tide’s three points in the victory.

Cave closed out his third straight head-to-head victory with a 3&2 win over Jackson Suber to finish the week at 3-1. Claycomb had a 3&2 victory over Brett Schell, closing the event at 2-2 overall. Jones was 2-2 over the weekend. 

In the other two matches, Tyler Lipscomb fell to Kyle Meeks, 4&2, while Thomas Ponder fell to Sarut Vongchaisit

Overall, Alabama bounced back from its opening-round loss to LSU (3-1-1). It defeated Florida, 3-2, in round two and South Carolina, 4-1, in round three. Arkansas won the tournament (4-0), while Georgia and Vanderbilt also notched three wins. 

Published
Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and is also the publisher of the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt sites . He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004 and is the author of 27 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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