William Jennings led the No. 17 Alabama men’s golf team with a score of 6-under par 64 in the opening round of the 2026 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Men’s Golf Championships on Wednesday, Apr. 22. The Crimson Tide finished the day tied for seventh place overall with a team score of 8-under par 272.
Jennings will start the second round two shots behind Ryder Cowan from Oklahoma, who is currently leading the tournament. Nick Gross also contributed to Alabama’s performance by shooting a 3-under par 67, placing him in a tie for sixteenth.
Jennings’ first-round score marked his career-best for an individual round and was his twelfth round at par or better this season. He made eight birdies during his round, with his only setback being a double bogey on hole number eight. Gross began his day with two consecutive bogeys but recovered by making five birdies and eleven pars over his final sixteen holes to match his season-low score.
Other members of Alabama’s starting lineup included Connor Brown, who finished even at par with a score of seventy and is tied for forty-fifth place after recording sixteen pars, one birdie, and one bogey. Jonathan Griz ended one shot back at one-over-par seventy-one in fifty-second place, while Brycen Jones carded a five-over-par seventy-five to finish tied for seventy-sixth.
At the end of the first day, No.12 Ole Miss led by one stroke over No.16 Oklahoma with scores of fifteen under and fourteen under respectively. Auburn University (No.1), Texas (No.3), and Florida (No.4) were all tied for third at eleven under par each; Mississippi State (No.41) held ninth position at nine under—one shot ahead of both Alabama and South Carolina (No.39), who are tied at eight under.
