Charles Barkley and Justin Thomas are two of the best representatives of the Yellowhammer State and the respective rivalry between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers, and they just proved why once again.

During this week’s press conference for the Arnold Palmer Invitational — where the former Alabama standout and two-time Major champion is making his return from injury — Barkley snuck into the media seats and was able to get a question to Thomas.

Unsurprisingly, the Auburn legend used that opportunity to poke at the Crimson Tide.

https://x.com/GolfDigest/status/2029289497842597968?s=20

“My question is, when Alabama was getting rolled by Indiana, where exactly were you at?” Barkley quipped, getting a big laugh out of Thomas.

“I was at home, probably just looking at my phone waiting for some kind of sarcastic text from you, or all of the sudden all these huge Indiana football fans that were friends of mine that I had no idea about,” Thomas joked. “So yeah, I should’ve reached out to you how you deal with big losses like that, you’ve gone through that more than I have, so I should’ve just asked you.”

Barkley was a good sport as always, telling Thomas that was a well-played response.

Thomas tees it up Thursday for the first time this season following back surgery in November and will try to return to his winning form ahead of the Masters in April.

In a return to community-based ownership for the private club, NorthRiver Yacht Club in Tuscaloosa has been sold to a group of local investors.

According to a report from the Tuscaloosa Patch, the investors include Joe Gillis, Chris Mobley, Miller Mobley, Kenny Short, and Andy Turner.

The group has experience with local development, having previously established the Captain’s Club on Lake Tuscaloosa, which sits within the NorthRiver community.

Despite the ownership transfer, the club’s management structure will remain consistent.

Troon, a firm that has overseen the club since 2017, will continue to handle daily operations and management. Troon Vice President of Operations David Stinson told the Patch that the company looks forward to continuing its role and described NorthRiver Yacht Club as “a jewel of Tuscaloosa.”

Founded in 1978 by Tuscaloosa businessman Jack Warner, NorthRiver Yacht Club has long been known for its recreational and social offerings. Its facilities include championship-level golf, tennis, pickleball, aquatics, dining, fitness amenities, and a busy calendar of events.

In a statement shared with the news outlet, Andy Turner, speaking on behalf of the new ownership group, said they plan to honor the traditions of the club while making investments that will improve the club long into the future.

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at sherri@yellowhammernews.com.

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze logged 11 rounds of golf in the first three weeks of June, which is stunningly high for a SEC coach balancing recruiting and on-field responsibilities.

A piece of investigative journalism from AL(dot)com insider Matt Stahl took a look into the head coach’s golfing habits recently, and it turns out Freeze plays a whole lot more than one would think a college football head coach is actually able to do.

With a USGA GHIN handicap rating of 7.4 meaning he is shooting in the low 80s and high 70s on a regular basis, Freeze is much better than the average golfer. In order to maintain a handicap though in the GHIN system, the rounds are logged publicly, meaning Stahl was able to find out exactly how much the coach was playing.

RELATED: Freeze on if there’s more pressure to win this year: ‘I’m not a fool’

According to the story, which was published on June 24, Freeze had played a total of 11 rounds in just those first three weeks of June alone.

GHIN only shows 20 rounds publicly at once Stahl wrote, so while an exact number cannot be placed on the amount of rounds he plays in a year, that threshold has been achieved and likely more than that.

Freeze has an extremely impressive golf game, but fans upon the release of the story understandably questioned why he is spending so much time on the golf course without having found much success on the field, and lately in recruiting either.

In reality, they likely are not connected at all, however that will not stop Auburn fans from asking some tough questions of their head coach.

North Alabama’s golfing community is one of vibrance and variety. With such a beautiful landscape serving as the backdrop to these greens, it can be easy to get lost in the environment and shank your shot for par into the majestic forests in the distance. When the time comes to set a tee-time this summer, here are a few North Alabama courses to take a swing at.

Dogwood Hills Golf Resort & Gardens

A glistening, orange fog rolls over the first tee as dawn breaks. Tall pines, ripe tomato beds, and the serenity of the morning stillness greets you at Dogwood Hills Golf Resort. Built with luscious vision in 1977, the eighteen-hole course offers visitors a peace and tranquillity that’s sure to last the entire round. With hauntingly serene scenes in the morning; bright, flowing, well-kept sight-lines in the afternoon; and an evening glow that rivals any major’s Sunday stroll, Dogwood Hills is a must-golf while in Flat Rock.

Hampton Cove

Hampton Cove is a familiar golf course. Even for those who’ve never walked its grounds, the first time you set eyes on its beautiful scenery and set-pieces, it feels as if you’re strolling the greens on a humid summer evening with an old friend. Fifty-four holes in total—the short course for time; the river course for beauty; the highlands for challenge. Surrounded by a bustling community of homeowners, schools, and fellow golfers just outside of Huntsville, Hampton Cove offers itself as a fitting preview for those looking to set anchor in the area for years to come.

Ross Bridge

One word: stunning! Ross Bridge in Hoover is breathtakingly pleasant to say the least. Though it is more central Alabama than it is north, it’s one of the highest caliber golfing facilities in the region. A featured course of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, it holds a unique position of being accessible to mid-level players, as well as the distinguished amateur looking to make the leap to pro-level play.  One of the longest courses in the world, Ross Bridge exhibits a beauty and power that mirrors the legendary courses of the south such as The Dye Club, Golf Club of Houston, and even the hallowed Augusta National.

Former President Donald Trump threw down the gauntlet Tuesday evening at a packed campaign rally in Florida, challenging Joe Biden to a $1 million charity golf game at his National Doral Golf Club. Trump even offered to spot Biden 20 strokes.

“I will even give Joe Biden 10 strokes a side. 10 strokes, that’s a lot,” Trump said. “That means 20 strokes in case you don’t play golf. I will give him 10 strokes a side and if he wins, I will give the charity of his choice, any charity that he wants, $1 million.”

“I’ll bet you he doesn’t take the offer.”

https://x.com/WesternLensman/status/1810830181545791557

The challenge comes after remarks by Biden during the Presidential debate claiming that he had shot a six handicap as Vice President during the Obama Administration. The  comment elicited a smile from Trump during the broadcast who called it “the biggest lie.”

Biden, growing increasingly frustrated, then took it a step further questioning Trump’s fitness on a golf course.

“By the way, I told you before I’m happy to play golf with you if you carry your own bag,” said Biden.

It appears now that Trump is calling the President’s bluff and that Biden wants absolutely no part of the challenge.

A campaign spokesperson James Singer responded to the invitation Wednesday morning.

“Joe Biden doesn’t have time for Donald Trump’s weird antics — he’s busy leading America and defending the free world.”

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten

Smylie Kaufman had a front row seat to one of the most dramatic U.S. Open finishes in the history of the tournament on Sunday.

Kaufman, who was born in Birmingham and attended Vestavia Hills High School before going to play his college career at LSU, is now an TV analyst for NBC’s golf coverage.

During an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast, Kaufman broke down the wild finish that saw 4x major winner Rory McIlroy lose by a shot to one of the most popular names in the sport right now, Bryson DeChambeau, after bogies on three of the last four holes including two missed putts inside of 4 feet on the 16th and 18th holes.

DeChambeau made a miraculous par on 18 to win the tournament after a 40-50 yard bunker shot landed to just 4 feet to clean up for the victory.

https://x.com/PardonMyTake/status/1802768551570206729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1802768551570206729%7Ctwgr%5E13a78e536a436aa38decdf500f83b1f4572e6e01%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.barstoolsports.com%2Fblog%2F3517178%2Fnobody-had-a-better-view-of-rory-mcilroys-collapse-at-pinehurst-than-smylie-kaufman

“I can’t think of any other golf event that was that entertaining over the last decade,” Kaufman said on McIlroy’s dramatic collapse while holding a 2-shot lead over DeChambeau heading to the 14th hole. “16 was inexcusable…I don’t know what happened on the 3 footer that he missed. I was actually walking away and then said ‘oh my god he missed.’ It didn’t even come into my mind that missing that putt was a possibility.”

“18 was a really interesting putt because I got behind and looked at it. I saw inside left, left center. I heard from Max [Homa]…he had told [Justin Thomas] that he hit that putt in the practice round and said it’s a really weird putt…So that was a tough putt but after Bryson hit it in the bunker I thought we were going to a [2 hole playoff] and Bryson just got up there and hit an unreal shot.”

Kaufman’s coverage on NBC has been lauded as some of the best golf content available. He also hosts a podcast known as The Smylie Show.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online. 

Doug Barron won the Regions Tradition in Birmingham last weekend at Greystone Golf and Country Club in a victory that was the crowning achievement of a long and at-times difficult golf career.

Battling through injuries and the absolute grind that being a PGA Tour player is over a long professional career, Barron has found his place on the Champions Tour and relishes the opportunity to play against players that were some of the best in the world during his time on the PGA Tour.

During an appearance on 105.5 WNSP in Mobile, Barron talked about his career on both tours, his comeback to play on the Champions Tour, and what the victory meant to him.

“It was a tough life,” Barron said of the PGA Tour. “It was tough getting beat up by Tiger [Woods], Phil [Mickelson], Ernie [Els], Vijay [Singh]. You get beat up pretty bad. To go from being the big fish in the small pond to getting beat by the best players in the world, it’s just a difficult place to play.”

RELATED: Watch: Regions champ Doug Barron takes victory lap on bicycle

Barron had five different shoulder and arm surgeries by the time he was 42 and ultimately, as he said, never got his game back after that in time to make a PGA Tour return.

After his time on tour ended, he taught for seven years in his home of Memphis, but started to get his game back once he was nearing 50.

“When I was 49 I started hitting it so good, I went and played our state open and I just got the urge to play. I talked to my wife about it and we decided to give it another shot. Getting on the Champions Tour is a feat in itself and God has blessed me,” he said.

Finishing top-five in the Senior British Open in 2019, Barron would earn his first Champions Tour victory the following week in the DICK’s Sporting Goods Open.

He knows he has had a “life-changing” five years on the Champions Tour, but being on the list of winners of the Regions Tradition is at the top of his career accomplishments.

The list of winners of the storied event includes some of the best players to ever play the game including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, and Bernhard Langer, and the significance is not lost on Doug Barron.

“It means a lot. It’s been a very emotional week,” Barron said. “I’ve just had a great outpouring of support from my peers, which means a lot. I know no one saw me winning last week. I was just trying to play the best golf Doug Barron can play and it just happened that I didn’t catch everyone on their best day and it worked out for me. So it was a great blessing, it was awesome.”

If you want to hear Barron’s interview in full, you can check it out right here:

The state of Alabama’s football coaches have long been known for their love of golf. Nick Saban would take “insane measures” to make tee times. Hugh Freeze, a self-proclaimed golf fanatic, has played at Augusta National several times. Even former Auburn coach Gus Malzahn was known to spend some time on the links.

However, a new face has arrived on the scene to wrest golf supremacy away from Saban and Freeze. Per an analysis conducted by Alex Kirshner, a co-host of the college football podcast Split Zone Duo, UAB head coach Trent Dilfer is the best golfer of any coach — not just in the state, but in the country.

Every FBS coach who keeps an official golf handicap, RANKED.

Which one are you? I personally am between Ryan Day and Kirby Smart https://t.co/ntSLHEer2p pic.twitter.com/a9VWmST4Cs

— Split Zone Duo (@SplitZoneDuo) May 10, 2024

Kirshner searched the United States Golf Association’s database and found that 18 active FBS head coaches keep official handicaps. Dilfer paces the group by far, sporting a handicap of plus 0.1, almost six strokes ahead of second-place Jason Candle.

Auburn’s Hugh Freeze ranked third on the list with a handicap of 6.9, while Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer came in at 14th with a handicap of 17.7. For context, the recently retired Nick Saban keeps a handicap of 10.6, better than DeBoer’s but worse than Freeze’s.

For those uninitiated in the terminology of golf, a handicap is the number of strokes a player is expected to take above or below a course’s par score. The lower the number, the better the player. Dilfer’s +0.1 handicap isn’t just impressive among his coaching peers — it places him among the upper echelons of amateur golfers in the US.

Analysis from golf website TheGrint.com reveals that DeBoer is in the bottom half of amateur golfers, Saban is in the 65th percentile, Freeze is in the 83rd percentile, and Dilfer ranks in the 98th percentile.

“Trent Dilfer told me he golfed 218 times in 2018 after he was let go from ESPN. That handicap is legit,” The Athletic’s Chris Vannini posted after news of Dilfer’s talent began to circulate social media.

Trent Dilfer told me he golfed 218 times in 2018 after he was let go from ESPN. That handicap is legit. https://t.co/DxadOObtQP

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) May 10, 2024

Dilfer’s interest in golf is nothing new. The former NFL quarterback has recorded nearly 20 appearances at the American Century Champion, an annual celebrity tournament hosted at Lake Tahoe, and in 2011 even discussed the possibility of an appearance on the PGA Champions Tour. According to Dilfer, his dedication to golf was sparked during his football career.

“Years ago I was playing pretty good in football, I was playing pretty good in golf and I was thinking I was a hotshot. [Former NFL quarterback John Brodie] pulled me aside one night after a practice round at the Black Diamond tournament in Florida,” Dilfer once told Golf Digest. “He had me in my golf spikes, and he was coaching me at football. He was yelling at me on the putting green, ‘do this, do that,’ he was working on my drop, he was just grinding me in my golf outfit, teaching me how to be a better football player.”

“We get done and we have a beer, and he looks at me and he says, ‘You’re a par-shooter as a football player, and you’re a par-shooter as a golfer. That isn’t good enough.’ I was a plus-1 or something, and I was a pretty good football player, but that message resonated with me. I wasn’t working on the right things. It was that year that I started working on my golf swing; it was that year I started applying the principles of golf and football together, the mental and the emotional and the technical.”

Dilfer made his first appearance at the Regions Tradition golf tournament last week, joining Saban, DeBoer, and Freeze.

“I do hit balls a lot,” Dilfer told ABC 33/40 before teeing off. “I get out of the office this time of year in the evenings and use the range as a time to rest my brain. I’ve played a handful of times [this year.] I got lucky and made six birdies the other day, but I can make double bogey as fast as anybody these days.”

Charles Vaughan is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. 

Nick Saban might be showing a softer side of himself in retirement.

While making his annual appearance at the Regions Tradition Celebrity Pro-Am in Birmingham, Saban addressed the media for the first time at the event with the term “former Alabama head coach” in his title.

https://twitter.com/aldotcomTide/status/1788225305967997330

“Good to see you guys,” Saban said to the local media as he began his availability. “Can’t tell you how much I missed y’all, Really the only reason I came here was to see y’all,” he said with a chuckle.

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban meets with the media before his round pic.twitter.com/7YeSomOPAK

— Joe Gaither (@JoeGaither6) May 8, 2024

“This is one of my favorite events that we did every year,” Saban said of the Regions. “To be able to meet the players, see a lot of fans, sign a lot of autographs, make a lot of people feel good I hope and I always enjoy playing golf. It is a great cause and Regions is a great organization in our state.”

Nick Saban’s bag for the Regions’s Pro-Am at Greystone pic.twitter.com/9Qf3TAgONd

— Alabama Crimson Tide | AL.com (@aldotcomTide) May 8, 2024

Saban had an opportunity on the driving range to have a quick catching up with his successor Kalen DeBoer as well:

Past 🤝 Present

Nick Saban and Kalen DeBoer share a moment on the driving range at the 2024 Region Traditions Pro-Am. #RollTide pic.twitter.com/6flIWe6yuN

— Alabama Crimson Tide | AL.com (@aldotcomTide) May 8, 2024

Eventually it was time for Saban to hit the tee, which he did to massive applause:

Former @AlabamaFTBL Head Coach Nick Saban at the @RegionsTrad pic.twitter.com/mLBWoeGpoe

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) May 8, 2024

Saban is tee’ing it up with the man who has won the last two Regions Tradition titles and three of the past four, Steve Stricker. Check out all the pairings here.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP

In what is being described as possibly the best shot on the Auburn basketball court all season, an Auburn student sunk a 94-foot putt during a timeout in the second half of Saturday’s basketball game to win a new car. The distance is from baseline to baseline on the court.

Craig Noyes, the winner, had a very humble goal for the putt, he told the AP.

“Honestly, my main goal was just not to whiff or shank it into the bench,” he said.

Noyes broke a streak of failed attempts from other competitors that dates to 2014.

He described the atmosphere as he lined up for the putt.

“It was so loud when I stepped up to the ball,” Noyes said. “Once I hit it, I completely zoned out. I couldn’t hear anyone.”

The Auburn basketball team didn’t have his good fortune, though. The Tigers lost to rival No.3 Alabama, 77-69.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.

For Mountain Brook’s Gordon Sargent, the spring will be “unlike any other.”

Sargent, the No. 3 ranked amateur in the world, will be playing in the Masters Tournament in April. The Vanderbilt standout and the NCAA defending champion is the first amateur to accept a special invitation to the Masters since 2000.

A graduate of Mountain Brook High School where he won individual and team state titles, Sargent was the first college freshman since 2007 to win the individual title at the NCAA championship.

“There is simply not a greater honor in golf than to be invited to play in the Masters Tournament,” said Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh. “I also believe this is a huge day for college and amateur golf as Augusta National Golf Club has extended a special exemption to Gordon to play in this year’s Masters as the reigning NCAA champion.”

Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, announced today that Kazuki Higa, six-time winner of the Japanese Golf Tour, also accepted an invitation.

“The Master’s Tournament prioritizes opportunities to elevate both amateur and professional golf around the world,” Ridley said. “Thus, we have extended invitations to two deserving players not otherwise qualified.

“Whether on the international stage or at the elite amateur level, each player has showcased their talent in the past year.”

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.

The Regions Tradition, one of Alabama’s marquee professional sporting events, will continue to be played at Greystone Golf and Country Club through at least 2032, the PGA Tour and Regions Bank jointly announced today.

“We are grateful to have Regions Bank as part of the PGA Tour Champions family,” said PGA Tour Champions President Miller Brady. “Their long-term commitment to our tour and the Birmingham community is a clear sign of their support and passion.

“The Regions Tradition has solidified itself as a player favorite on the Champions Tour because of the impressive fan support and the outstanding course and hospitality, and with an ongoing and growing commitment to charitable giving, I’m excited to see the positive impact this tournament can make for years to come,” Brady said.

The Regions Tradition, one of five major championships on PGA Tour Champions, has been played at Greystone Golf and Country Club in Birmingham since 2016. Bernhard Langer, who has won a PGA Tour Champions record 11 majors, captured the first two Regions Traditions held at Greystone in 2016 and 2017. Miguel Angel Jimenez (2018), Steve Stricker (2019) and defending champion Alex Cejka have won the past three titles at the Regions Tradition. Regions Bank has been the title sponsor of the event since 2011, with the tournament held at Shoal Creek Club from 2011 to 2015.

The 2022 playing of the Regions Tradition continues through May 15.

“We’re honored to continue to sponsor this important event,” said John Turner, president and CEO of Regions Financial Corp. “Regions Bank has a long-standing commitment to making life better in the communities we serve, and for 30 years, the Regions Tradition has provided a forum for great, hall-of-fame caliber golf and giving back to the community we call home.”

Turner said the tournament, over its lifetime, has raised more than $20 million for local nonprofits, with the highest levels of support going to the tournament’s primary beneficiary, Children’s of Alabama.

Each year, the tournament hosts the Junior Regions Tradition, powered by Alabama Power, a competitive and developmental golf experience celebrating junior golf and advancing growth of the game.

The predecessor tournament of the Regions Tradition spent its first 14 years in Arizona at Cochise Golf Course at Desert Mountain Club (1989-2001) and the Prospector Course at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club (2002). The tournament spent eight years in Oregon at The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club (2003-06) and the Crosswater Club at Sunriver (2007-10) before moving to Alabama.

Since its inception in 1989, the Regions Tradition and its predecessors have produced a legendary list of champions, including four-time winner Jack Nicklaus (1990, 1991, 1995, 1996). In addition to Langer and Nicklaus, Gil Morgan (1997, 1998), Fred Funk (2008, 2010) and Tom Lehman (2011, 2012) have taken home multiple titles.

The nine-year extension of the Regions Tradition marks the third-longest extension in PGA Tour Champions history, joining the 20-year extension of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship and the Charles Schwab Cup, as well as the 10-year extension of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic.

For more information on the Regions Tradition, visit www.regionstradition.com.

(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)

Cities across America own golf courses, but analysis from the Reason Foundation shows that many lose money on them.  Is subsidizing golf a proper function of government?

The Reason study found over cities reporting finances for their golf courses.  Seventy percent of cities lost money in 2020, which may have been unrepresentative due to state COVID restrictions.  All four Alabama cities reported on (Fort Payne, Gadsden, Millbrook and Pelham) lost money on golf.

In the market, losses indicate that businesses are not producing value equal to the value of resources used.  Producing low valued products or services with scarce resources reduces our standard of living.  Are cities wasting money on golf?

Answering this question is a little tricky.  Golf courses create value in two ways.  One is through play (although golfers sometimes wonder why they pay for such frustration).  Golf courses also boost the value of adjacent real estate.  Developers may build golf courses to sell houses, not to earn profits from course operation.  Privately owned courses may create value even if losing money.

Cities generally do not generate auxiliary revenue from golf, so operating deficits are likely being covered out of the budget.  Tax dollars have alternative uses, like repairing roads.  Should the courses be closed, or is the problem poor management?

Interestingly, firms in the golf industry manage municipal courses.  Companies offering this service include Troon, Hampton, Club Corp, and Arnold Palmer.  Peter Hill helped build one of the first management companies.  A Golf Week story summarized his observations: “Often, municipalities allowed courses to fall into disrepair, didn’t manage the books well, or had trouble finding the proper price point.  Or sometimes they realized they simply didn’t know how to run a golf course efficiently.”

Abraham Lincoln said that government should only do things that people “need to have done, but can not do at all, or can not so well do, for themselves.”  The existence of private golf courses creates a strong presumption against government golf.  Yet local governments provide many services also provided by businesses.  Government offers unfair competition for business.  A city facility charging prices too low to cover costs rarely goes out of business and the manager (a government bureaucrat) may not be fired.  Businesses can go broke competing with tax subsidized prices.

The political influence of avid golfers is a bad reason for government golf.  Although municipal golf courses are open to all, only 24 million Americans played a round in 2019.  Avid golfers are a portion of this total and on average have incomes well above the national median.  Taxpayers should not fund anyone’s hobby.

Two better arguments exist.  The first is expanding opportunities.  Golf is an expensive sport which many children never get to try.  It offers many networking opportunities for professionals, so some familiarity could help promote upward income mobility.

Private efforts like the World Golf Foundation’s First Tee program, however, may better achieve this goal.  Cities could use tax dollars for vouchers for play by low-income residents or golf field trips for middle and high school students instead of owning golf courses.

The second argument is as an amenity.  Restaurants, museums, recreation, and golf affect the “livability” of a region and help businesses attract and retain good workers; economists call these local public goods.  Businesses do not provide these and may have to pay higher salaries for employees in areas with few amenities.

The conditions for legitimate investment in amenities, however, are strict.  There must be no privately owned, open to the public golf courses within reasonable driving distance.  (This also alleviates unfair competition concerns.)  Many amenities are not available in rural areas.  Evidence should be presented to show the value of golf versus other amenities (e.g., bowling or laser tag).

Local governments are probably better served focusing on roads, schools, and trash collection.  Enterprising politicians are sometimes called political entrepreneurs.  Politicians who want to go into business should use their own money, not tax dollars.

Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics with the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University and host of Econversations on TrojanVision. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of Troy University.

Monday, the reelection campaign of Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall released its first television advertisement of the 2022 GOP primary election cycle.

Titled “Good Golfer, Bad Politician,” the 30-second spot places Marshall at the links touting his golf game. The ad features the attorney general admitting to being a “bad politician” due to his lack of concern with being admired among the political establishment.

“I’m Steve Marshall. I’m a good golfer but a bad politician,” the attorney general says in the ad. “That’s why I’m not afraid of the woke mob, cancel culture or liberal radicals trying to cancel our constitution.”

A voice-over adds, “Steve Marshall: Back the blue, secure our elections, protect our borders.”

The ad concludes with Marshall saying, “The left, the media and the establishment won’t like it, but I’m more concerned with defending Alabama than I am being liked. I’m a better golfer than politician.”

Watch:

In a statement accompanying the ad release, Marshall campaign spokesman Jon Jones contrasted the attorney general’s motivations with those of “career politicians.”

“Unlike career politicians who look to the latest polls before making decisions based on what is best for them to get reelected, Steve Marshall stands up for what is right for Alabamians,” stated Jones. “He stands against the woke mob, is unafraid of cancel culture, and fights the radical liberal agenda.”

Jones spoke to what he deemed to be Marshall’s accomplishments during his first term of service as Alabama’s chief law enforcement officer.

The spokesman added, “As Alabama’s Attorney General, Steve has repeatedly fought the Biden Administration to protect state sovereignty and individual freedom, opposed social media corporations who want to censor conservatives, and championed law and order in the face of the anti-incarceration mob.”

Jones concluded, “AG Marshall did his part to protect our borders as recently as last week, opposing the Biden Administrations’ open border agenda in a federal lawsuit. When the security of our elections was at stake, Steve Marshall successfully defended Alabama’s voter ID law and halted curbside voting at the Supreme Court. So many politicians govern for the short term, thinking only about their future ambitions instead of the future of Alabama. That’s why Steve Marshall may be a good golfer, but he’s a bad politician.”

The primary election is slated to occur on May 24, 2022.

Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL

Huntsville-based mortgage company HomeTown Lenders (HTL) on Wednesday announced that it had agreed to sponsor rising golf sensation Jovan Rebula.

Rebula, the nephew of World Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els, recently graduated from Auburn University where he was an All-American collegiate golfer. In 2018, he claimed The Amateur Championship, the second South African native to win the prestigious golf event.

The Birmingham resident now holds the sponsorship of HTL as he launches his journey as a professional golfer.

HTL founder and CEO Billy Taylor touted his company’s sponsorship of the rising golf talent.

“We are proud to sponsor Jovan, who has made a hometown of his own in our home state,” proclaimed Taylor. “He is one of the top up-and-coming golfers in the world, and we’re proud to make him an honorary member of the HTL family. Hometown Lenders looks forward to many years of success through this partnership.”

Rebula’s career highlights include the following:

• Arnold Palmer Cup International Team
• First Team All-SEC
• Georgia Cup Champion
• Global Golf Post All-Amateur Team
• Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award Semifinalist
• Kiawah Classic Medalist
• PING All-American Honorable Mention
• PING All-American Third Team
• PING All-Southeast Region
• SEC Championship Medalist
• SEC Freshman of the Week
• SEC Golfer of the Week
• Second Team All-SEC
• SGA Amateur of the Month
• World Amateur Team Championship
• Career Low 18: 64 – Kiawah Classic first round
• Career Low 36: 130 – Kiawah Classic first and second rounds
• Career Low 54: 202 (2x) – SEC Championship

Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL

In 2020, the global pandemic caused innumerable events to be cancelled, including the Regions Tradition, a major of the PGA TOUR Champions. Golfers and fans stayed home and a community event that had been happening for more than 25 years took an understandable back seat to safety.

But an important aspect of the tournament never missed a beat. In a year when the tournament wasn’t held, the support for the many nonprofits that benefit from the tournament — including the primary beneficiary – Children’s of Alabama – continued.

In all, the tournament raised more than $1.2 million for charity in 2020, a record for the tournament, pushing the total raised to more than $19 million over 25+ years.

Some of the monetary support from the tournament comes from attendees and individuals, but the vast majority of those funds come from corporate donations and support from businesses. (more…)

His story isn’t about losing his leg in a motorcycle accident more than a decade ago. It’s about so much more.

Birmingham resident Chris Osborne is also a champion golfer, poised to represent the United States as they take on Team Europe in one of disability golf’s premier match play events, The Cairns Cup, taking place May 2022 in London.

“We’re really excited about the Cairns Cup,” Osborne said. “Golf is one sport that really equalizes – a lot of people grew up playing it, I started at about 12 years old. I play with my daughter, my son and my wife. It’s just one of those things where you can get out there and feel some sense of normalcy.”

That sense of normalcy was felt by Osborne as he hit the greens at Greystone Golf & Country Club for the post-COVID return of the Regions Tradition Celebrity Pro-Am. He calls it a full circle opportunity. (more…)

If the sky had been any indication, you might have mistaken the gray and mist for a round at the birthplace of golf. Still, the Regions Tradition returned to smiles and excitement, drawing appreciative crowds outside after a year’s sabbatical forced by the global pandemic.

Day one at Greystone Golf & Country Club featured more than golf weather. The annual Regions Tradition Celebrity Pro-Am features some of the biggest local celebrities and most prestigious names in golf – back again to support the tournament and the many organizations that benefit from it.

Fans were able to get up close and reasonably personal with SEC football coaches and former players. Among the notables participating in the 2021 event were: (more…)

The Haughery family arrived at Greystone Golf & Country Club early Sunday morning, as they do many weekends. By day’s end, they were trying to figure out how to get the spoils of the day home.

Son Simon competed in the age 14-15 boys group in the Junior Regions Tradition, sponsored by Alabama Power. A week after finishing second in another tournament, Simon couldn’t find his groove Sunday, finishing in the middle of the pack.

“That’s just golf,” Simon said with a grin.

Thirteen-year-old Elizabeth watched her brother play a few holes with the earliest group on the back nine, then headed to the driving range and first tee to compete on her own. (more…)

Regions Bank, title sponsor of the Regions Tradition, will light up the Regions Center in downtown Birmingham with the image of a golfer in preparation for the upcoming golf tournament.

Starting on Monday night at 8:00 p.m. CT, all four sides of the Regions Center will be lit with images of a golfer, allowing a 360-degree view from anywhere near the building. The 20-story light display will be lit daily from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. and again from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. through May 9.

This year’s Regions Tradition will be held May 5-9 at Greystone Golf and County Club. Enhanced protocols will be in place related to the COVID-19 pandemic. (more…)

Lindsey Harrison faced 67 million-to-one odds to hit two holes-in-one during the same round. On Monday, however, she only needed three holes to accomplish the amazing feat.

Harrison, who was a senior on the Troy University women’s golf team during the 2018-2019 season, played the course at Vestavia Country Club in metropolitan Birmingham on Labor Day.

On the back nine, she landed two perfect shots. (more…)

Incoming Auburn University freshman Max Johnson on Thursday won the 75th Alabama Boys State Junior Championship at Goose Pond Colony Resort in Scottsboro.

Johnson fired a 14-under par and won the annual amateur event by four strokes. (more…)

Golf Advisor recently honored a trio of Alabama courses in its annual list of the best golf courses in the United States.

The publication, which is associated with the Golf Channel, explained, “[We] received more than 153,000 golf course ratings and reviews from our golfer community in 2019, and we’ve compiled the very best courses in the U.S. you can play based on your submissions for this year’s Golfers’ Choice Top 50 courses in the United States you can play.”

All courses selected “must offer regular public access.”

Kiva Dunes in Gulf Shores came in at No. 26, while Gunter’s Landing in Guntersville was ranked as the 14th-best.

However, the crown jewel of the Yellowhammer State was FarmLinks at Pursell Farms. (more…)

Auburn University men’s golfer Jovan Rebula is turning heads across the nation heading into the 2019-2020 season.

On Friday, the Golf Channel announced that the senior has been chosen to the Haskins Award Watch List.

Rebula is one of just 25 golfers in the country to be on this watch list for the most prestigious honor awarded to the nation’s top college golfer annually.

In fact, Golf Channel’s preseason ranking placed Rebula at number six on the list, elevating his status among America’s elite collegiate golfers even further. (more…)