Earlier than everybody scattered for the vacations, Florida State redshirt senior Grey Albright and a few teammates welcomed one final problem from the Seminole alums who play skilled golf however nonetheless name Tallahassee, Florida, house. In these video games round Seminole Legacy Membership, professionals equivalent to John Pak, Vincent Norrman and Frederik Kjettrup regularly battle the school guys, a gaggle that also contains junior Luke Clanton, who has already confirmed himself greater than succesful on the subsequent stage with 4 top-10s final season on the PGA Tour, together with a pair of runner-up showings.
Proper now, it’s Clanton, not any of the present professionals, who supplies the best litmus take a look at.
“Seeing him do what he’s executed has been unbelievable,” Albright mentioned of Clanton. “He’ll go to those Tour tournaments after which come again, and we’ll play a bunch of matches, and then you definately get to check your recreation to him…
“And never going to lie, he has been kicking my butt currently.”
If something, Albright provides, these butt-kickings have made him higher. When he confirmed up at Ocean Forest Golf Membership in Sea Island, Georgia, for final week’s Jones Cup Invitational, he was effectively conditioned for the punishing structure, bone-chilling temperatures and wind, and star-studded area, which featured 5 of the highest 12 amateurs on the earth and loads of depth.
Positive, he didn’t should take care of Clanton, who was away competing on the Sony Open in Hawaii, however Albright did draw one other teammate, junior Jack Bigham, in a playoff after each gamers completed 54 holes at 4 beneath, two photographs away from Vanderbilt’s Jackson Van Paris, Duke’s Luke Pattern and 16-year-old Miles Russell.
Albright gained with par on the primary additional gap, but it surely was his efficiency on the again 9 in regulation that allowed him to hitch previous Jones Cup champions equivalent to Justin Thomas, Ludvig Aberg and Patrick Reed. Albright performed Nos. 10-18 on Sunday in a bogey-free 3 beneath, sticking a 7-iron from 192 yards to a foot on the par-4 12th, rolling in a 15-footer for birdie on the subsequent, after which delivering the second of the match on the par-3 17th.
Along with his again foot in a bunker, Albright, a lefty, stood over a 50-foot birdie putt. With Bigham about 15 ft for birdie, Albright knew he must put stroke on the ball. However the traditionally deft putter did higher than that; he jarred it – and good factor as a result of Bigham would pour his putt in on prime of it.
“I sort of blacked out and went nuts from there,” Albright mentioned. “That was one of many cooler holes I’ve ever performed.”
The victory, although, was simply the largest.
Mentioned Florida State head coach Trey Jones: “There’s no manner you can’ve seen him successful on that golf course two years in the past.”
Albright would agree.
“I’m a totally completely different golfer than I used to be after I got here right here as a freshman,” Albright mentioned. “I didn’t know as a lot about golf as I assumed I did.”
Albright boasted some good credentials popping out of Forest Excessive in Ocala, Florida, together with a robust golf lineage – his father, Steve, performed golf at North Carolina, and his brother, Miles, competed at Gardner-Webb. However buried on a roster led by first-team All-People John Pak and Vincent Norrman, Albright didn’t hit a single match shot his first season.
In reality, Albright solely logged six complete begins in his first three seasons as his excessive golf IQ and deadly putter weren’t sufficient to beat a free golf swing.
“It was robust mentally as a result of everyone has their doubts about whether or not they can do it or not,” Albright mentioned. “However my teammates and coaches have been nice to me, saved telling me to maintain going, preserve working, and I’m actually grateful for that. It’s not at all times straightforward when it’s not going effectively for you.”
Albright’s breakthrough got here in the course of the spring of his redshirt-sophomore season, when he gained the Seminole Intercollegiate. He added one other victory final spring, on the Watersound Invitational, whereas ending the season with 4 top-10s and a scoring common almost two photographs higher than his earlier low.
Previous to successful at Ocean Forest, Albright had climbed to No. 61 within the World Beginner Golf Rating, a real testomony to the work he’s put in on campus and with teacher Sean Hogan, who teaches out of the David Leadbetter Academy at ChampionsGate in Orlando, Florida. Albright is extra constant ball-striker as of late, particularly off the tee. He hits photographs with much less curve and has tighter misses.
His professional prospects are higher than ever, too. Albright stands at No. 18 in PGA Tour College, which can award Korn Ferry Tour standing to the highest 10 performers after this spring’s NCAA Championship.
Albright is effectively conscious of what’s at stake this semester, however he additionally is aware of he’s now on the radar for this fall’s Walker Cup, which clearly, ought to Albright make that 10-man group, would imply a delay in Albright’s professional profession.
“If he thought he was on that group, I’d count on him to do this,” Jones mentioned. “He sees the large image. That’s why he got here again for a fifth 12 months, to get higher. He has the flexibility to be affected person.”
Albright mentioned as a lot.
He is aware of, particularly after Sunday’s triumph, that he’ll be amongst these professionals at Seminole Legacy enjoying in opposition to the school boys quickly sufficient.
