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Alabama’s Nick Gross Earns Spot in 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship After Impressive Qualifying Performance
For college athletes, summer is often a time for rest, individual work, and quiet preparation. But for Alabama sophomore golfer Nick Gross, this summer brought something much bigger: a shot at national glory. After an exceptional performance in the regional qualifiers, Gross officially punched his ticket to the 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship—one of the most prestigious events in amateur golf.
The rising Crimson Tide star delivered a calm, composed, and clinical performance during his qualifying round, finishing with a two-round total of 136 (68-68), four-under par, at the Wilmington Country Club in Delaware. Against a strong field of highly ranked amateurs and future PGA hopefuls, Gross displayed maturity beyond his years, navigating tricky pin placements and pressure-packed moments with a steady hand.
“It means everything to me,” Gross said shortly after learning he’d made the cut. “You work all year for chances like this. Just to compete in the U.S. Amateur is a dream—being able to represent Alabama on that stage is something I take real pride in.”
That pride is well-earned. The U.S. Amateur, established in 1895, is golf’s oldest national championship and widely considered the most prestigious amateur tournament in the world. Past champions include legends like Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, and more recently, players like Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland. For young golfers, it’s a chance to not only make a name for themselves but to measure their game against the best of their peers on a global stage.
Gross, who joined the University of Alabama golf program in the fall of 2023, has already turned heads with his play during his freshman season. He posted a team-best 71.2 scoring average, recorded five top-10 finishes, and helped the Crimson Tide reach the NCAA Regionals. But his performance this summer shows that his ceiling is still rising—and fast.
Head coach Jay Seawell, who has led the Alabama program to national prominence over the last two decades, wasn’t surprised to see Gross qualify.
“Nick’s one of the most competitive and focused players I’ve ever coached,” Seawell said. “He prepares like a pro, and he doesn’t flinch when the pressure’s on. We knew he had the talent, but it’s the work ethic and the mental toughness that separate him. The way he played in the qualifier? That’s the Nick Gross we see every day.”
The Wilmington Country Club layout provided its fair share of challenges. With lightning-fast greens, narrow fairways, and swirling summer winds, conditions tested even the most experienced players. But Gross was undeterred. After making birdie on his first hole, he set the tone early. His iron play was crisp, setting up short looks at birdie on holes five, six, and eight, and he rolled in a 25-footer on the 12th to stay under par when others were falling back.
“I just tried to stay in my zone,” Gross said. “Coach always tells us to play one shot at a time. I knew there’d be tough holes and maybe a few misses, but I focused on what I could control.”
That mindset paid off. Despite a bogey on 16 in his second round, Gross steadied himself with a gutsy up-and-down for par on 17 and nailed a 9-iron approach to six feet on the 18th to close with a birdie—securing his place among the top two qualifiers and punching his ticket to the U.S. Amateur.
“He looked like a guy who’d done it 10 times before,” said local tournament official Rick Madsen. “Calm, precise, composed. When the round started to tighten, he just got better. That’s not something you teach—it’s something you find in the great ones.”
What makes Gross’s achievement more impressive is the level of competition he faced. The qualifying event drew more than 100 players, many of whom were seasoned college veterans or decorated juniors. Among them were several Top 100 World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) players, and Gross’s performance stood out in both consistency and composure.
For Alabama’s golf program, Gross’s qualification adds to a long list of successes. The Crimson Tide have produced several U.S. Amateur participants and champions, including Justin Thomas, who reached the semifinals in 2012 and went on to become one of the top players on the PGA Tour. For Seawell and his staff, Gross’s qualification is both a reflection of the program’s strength and a glimpse at its future.
“Nick’s just scratching the surface,” Seawell said. “He’s got the kind of game that travels—strong off the tee, elite ball-striker, fearless on the greens. But what excites me the most is that he’s always looking to improve. He’s not satisfied.”
The 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship will be held August 11–17 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota—an iconic venue that has hosted major championships including the 2002 and 2009 PGA Championships and the 2016 Ryder Cup. For Gross, it will mark his debut in the event, and the biggest stage of his young career.
“It’s going to be incredible,” Gross said. “Hazeltine is one of those places you dream about playing. Just to walk those fairways, to feel the history—that’s special. But I’m not going there just to show up. I want to compete. I want to win.”
And that ambition isn’t far-fetched. In the U.S. Amateur format, 312 of the world’s top amateurs compete in two rounds of stroke play, with the top 64 advancing to match play. From there, it becomes a mental and physical test like few others in the sport. For many, it’s the first true test of what life might look like on the PGA Tour.
Gross’s game, according to scouts and coaches, is built for that kind of environment. He’s long off the tee but never reckless. His wedge game is among the sharpest in college golf. And most importantly, his confidence and calm demeanor make him a nightmare opponent in head-to-head formats.
“Match play suits him,” Coach Seawell added. “He has that quiet intensity. He doesn’t get rattled. He knows how to grind and how to put pressure on guys. He’s the kind of player you hate to draw.”
Back home in Alabama, his teammates are already buzzing with support. Sophomore teammate Jake Bannister, who roomed with Gross during the season, said the team erupted when they heard the news.
“We were tracking his scores online, hole by hole,” Bannister said. “When he birdied 18, we all lost it. This is a huge moment for him, and for our team. It puts Alabama golf on that national radar again.”
That national attention is only going to grow in the coming weeks. With media coverage building and the college season just around the corner, Gross’s profile is set to rise quickly. But those who know him best say he won’t get caught up in the noise.
“He’s not a spotlight guy,” Bannister said. “He loves the game, he respects it, and he works harder than anyone. He’s just going to keep doing what he does.”
If what he does includes qualifying for elite championships, holding his nerve in high-stakes situations, and carrying the Alabama flag into the most prestigious amateur golf tournament in the world—then Nick Gross is just getting started.
One swing, one round, one tournament at a time, he’s building something special. And come August at Hazeltine, the rest of the world will get to see it too.
