Jennings, Alabama Golf Complete Clean Sweep in Season-Opening Tournament

What William Jennings hinted at all summer became reality this week in Michigan. The sophomore delivered medalist honors at American Dunes Golf Club, leading Alabama to a season-opening win at the Folds of Honor Collegiate.

Jennings, a sophomore from South Carolina who qualified for match play at this summer’s U.S. Amateur, did not make it easy on himself early. He opened Monday’s round playing his first 13 holes at two over, slipping down the board as others surged. But a late rally with two birdies in his final six holes pulled him back to even and within two shots of the leaders heading into day two.

That stretch set the tone for the week. On Tuesday, with the Crimson Tide starting in the morning wave, Jennings caught fire. He carded the low round of the day, a 4-under 68 matched only by Missouri’s Trent Mierl, to grab the solo lead over Notre Dame’s Calen Sanderson.

Wednesday was more of the same. Jennings poured in four birdies on the front nine, pushing his lead to as many as six shots. By the turn, Alabama’s team win was all but sealed, and Jennings looked like he was cruising toward his first college medalist honor.

But tournament golf has a way of testing even the steadiest hands. Jennings dropped a few shots late, trimming his cushion, and his drive on the par-5 18th sailed behind a tree. He had to pitch out and lay up, then two-putted for a bogey, turning the final hole into a test of patience.

“It was a lot coming down there, kind of limped it in on the last three holes,” Jennings said post-tournament in an interview on Golf Channel. “But this was a great experience. I played well this summer and had a lot of great practice coming in to this. Next time I'm going to try to step on the gas a little more, but it was good.”

Reflecting on his summer with Bama Central last week, Jennings said his biggest takeaway was learning that perfection is not required to play well. “Your swing doesn’t have to be perfect. Even when you’re playing bad, you can still compete,” he said. That mindset helped him steady himself down the stretch and secure medalist honors despite the late challenge.

Jennings signed for a 1-under 71 in the final round to finish the week at 4-under, claiming a one-stroke victory over Cincinnati’s Leo Wessel.

The champion was not the only Crimson Tide player to join the front page of the leaderboard. Junior Jack Mitchell finished his final round 1-under to secure third place, while graduate student Connor Brown tied for seventh at 1-over. Jonathan Griz and Nicholas Gross finished at 6-over and 14-over, respectively.

Alabama’s team total of 5-under was enough to top Notre Dame by six strokes, marking back-to-back team wins at the event. Jennings’ victory also secures him an exemption to the PGA Tour’s 2026 Rocket Mortgage Classic.

For Jennings, it was a statement performance. For Alabama, it was the perfect start to a new season.