Steelwood Collegiate: Alabama dominates to win the title

October 29, 2023 | by Amit Pandey of AmateurGolf.com

Alabama concludes the season with a win (Photo - Alabama Men's Golf)

The Crimson Tide won the Steelwood Collegiate by eight strokes

The Alabama men’s golf team, consisting of Canon Claycomb, Jonathan Griz, Thomas Ponder, JP Cave, Austin Coggin, Luke Coyle, and Jones Free, shot 11-under 853 with rounds of 284-284-285 for a comfortable victory by eight strokes over Chattanooga at the Steelwood Collegiate at Steelwood Country Club in Loxley, Ala.

The Crimson Tide began the final round with a three-shot lead, having posted consecutive rounds of 284-284, putting them at 8-under par. Kentucky, which was in second place, trailed by three shots, having carded rounds of 292-279 and stood at 5-under par.

Alabama clinched their second title of the season by shooting 3-under 285 in the final round, building on their previous victory at the Hamptons Intercollegiate earlier this month.

Its overall score of 11-under 853 outshone Chattanooga, who finished as runners-up at 3-under 861, thanks to their consistent performance over three rounds, each with a score of 287. Alabama's dominance on the leaderboard was evident, securing an eight-shot lead over their closest competitors.

Memphis secured third spot with a total score of 2-over 866, achieved through rounds of 287- 294-285. Meanwhile, Kentucky, initially in second position after the first two rounds, ultimately settled for fourth place at 3-over 867, posting scores of 292-279-296.

In the individual competition, Kobe Valociek, a senior at Virginia Tech, emerged as the champion with an impressive total score of 11-under 205, delivering consistent rounds of 70-69-66.

His victory was secured by just one shot, as the duo of Alex Goff from Kentucky and John Houk representing Chattanooga finished as joint runners-up with a score of 10-under 206.

Valociek began the final round in third place, sitting at 5-under par, trailing Houk, the leader at 10-under par after carding rounds of 64-70.

Valociek launched his final round with a birdie on No. 1 and swiftly followed it with an eagle on No. 5. He continued to impress with five more birdies and two bogeys, capping it off with a birdie on his last hole.

Houk, who had opened the Steelwood event with a remarkable 64, couldn't maintain his lead, posting subsequent rounds of 70 and 72. Despite staying bogey-free until No. 17, where he encountered a triple-bogey, he fell two shots short of Valociek, while matching Goff.

All three competitors, Valociek, Goff, and Houk, managed to birdie their final hole in the tournament, resulting in Valociek securing the win, while Goff and Houk settled for a shared second place in the final standings.

Results: Steelwood Invitational

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Kobe Valociek	Peoria, AZ	600	70-69-66=205
T2	Alex Goff	Kings Mountain, NC	400	70-65-71=206
T2	John Houk	Etowah, TN	400	64-70-72=206
T4	Jacob LeCroy	Anniston, AL	300	70-76-66=212
T4	Cooper Schultz	Wichita, KS	300	71-73-68=212