The University of Alabama is widely known for its successful athletic department, most notably in football and now basketball as well.
One sport, however, that is certainly underrated at the Capstone is golf, and the Crimson Tide has produced some of the best players in the world, including two who are currently competing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Bay Hill, Florida.
Justin Thomas is, of course, the most notable, moving back into the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings this past year after a recent severe rough patch. Thomas, as of Friday afternoon, had climbed into the top five after a solid first round on Thursday and a 2-under front nine on Friday. He finished round two with a two-under score of 70 and was tied for sixth at 3-under.
The other Alabama golfer in the field is youngster Nick Dunlap, who broke onto the scene last year after becoming the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour in 30 years. After turning pro shortly, it has been up and down for Dunlap, but he has climbed his way to No. 31 in the world.
After a solid first round in difficult conditions, things took an ugly turn on Friday for the 21-year-old after a front-nine 4-over and a back nine which did not go any better, shooting an 80 for the day to finish 10-under for the tournament and below the cut line. With the pressure now on, Dunlap will have to give it another go next week.
Outside the Arnold Palmer, four former Tide golfers are competing in the satellite event on the tour this week in Puerto Rico. Davis Riley (World No. 141) leads the Puerto Rico Open after two rounds with an impressive score of 14-under while Robbie Shelton is at 3-under, Trey Mullinax at 2-under, and Bud Cauley at 1-under.
