It’s one of the best weeks in the sports year with The Masters officially teeing off early on Thursday morning from the iconic Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
Seeing who joins the likes of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer with their name associated with the words “Masters Champion” will be decided over four grueling days of golf at the most pristine course in the world
As one of the more storied programs in all of collegiate golf, the Alabama Crimson Tide as they usually do have several players competing for the coveted Green Jacket and to etch their name into golf history with all of the greatest players to ever play the game.
The first and most notable is of course two-time major champion Justin Thomas, who wants to add the Green Jacket to his two PGA Championship titles. Thomas is not quite one of the favorites this week, though he is still considered as someone with a great chance to compete and is still within the top-ten of the World Golf Rankings.
Thomas finished 1-over in the first round and is safely within the cut line, needing a nice day to have a chance to make a run.
The second Tide golfer is a more recent Tuscaloosa resident in the 21-year-old Nick Dunlap. Becoming the first amateur in over 30 years to win a PGA Tour event last year when he won the American Express, Dunlap turned pro and has been up and down since.
Currently ranked No. 42 in the world, he has finished top-20 in two tour events since the start of this season.
Unfortunately, Dunlap had an absolute mess of a first round in which he scored a 90 and places him squarely in dead last. He will not make the cut and will have to regroup.
As for the final player, it’s world No. 109 Davis Riley, who turned pro back in 2019. Riley was in the first group of the morning on Thursday and ironically was paired with Auburn alum and Montgomery native Patton Kizzire.
Riley won the Charles Schwab Challenge last May over some of the best players in the world and has a couple of top-tens this year, but he would need the performance of a lifetime in order to win a Green Jacket or even contend.
However, a 1-over 73 on the first day and nice start on Friday has him well within the conversation alongside Thomas.
Tide fans across the state will be tuned in throughout the weekend and rooting for their former Alabama stars during a “tradition unlike any other.”
