Shelton State Men’s Golf Looking to Take Next Step
TUSCALOOSA – The Shelton State men's golf team has made a lot of strides since the program was reinstated in 2022.
Now, fourth year head coach Chris Sanford is ready to see the Bucs take that next step into the national spotlight.
"The team has really come a long way since we restarted the program in 2022," Sanford said. "We've gotten a little bit better each year. I feel like this year, with the group of guys that we have, we are very competitive. They have good chemistry and they really like each other. They push each other and they help each other."
Shelton State opens the spring season ranked No. 12 in the NJCAA Golf Rankings, the highest ranking since winning the NJCAA National Championship in 2002, before the program was disbanded.
"That's one of the reasons we have a No. 12 ranking," Sanford said. "We won a tournament this fall and we were second at the ACCC Preview Event, and we had another chance to win the last tournament at Musgrove Country Club in Jasper. We finished third, but we were tied for the lead after the first day.
"They are poised to have a good spring if they play like they are capable of playing and winning more tournaments, possibly the conference or the district. If they hold form, they should have a really good chance of making the national tournament in May."
The Bucs took home the LBW Saints Invitational on Oct. 20-21, 2025 at Robert Trent Jones course at Cambrian Ridge. It was the first tournament win in the four years of competition.
Shelton State won the event by one stroke over Jefferson State. Wallace State-Dothan and Coastal Alabama North tied for third.
Sophomore Micheal Brewer (Vestavia Hills) was also the individual winner with a 6-under par score. Brewer carded a 5-under 67 in round one and shot 1-under 71 to become the Bucs' first individual champion.
"It was very exciting," Sanford recalled. "Over the first three years, it was a building process and this year we've kind of stepped it up a little bit. It was very close. I thought we going to have to go to a playoff. I was with (Brewer), who won the tournament himself. I was texting the rest of the team, while watching and helping him, and we won by a stroke.
"They were very excited. I think I was little more excited than they were just because of trying to get the group to that point. They were happy to be the group to get that first (tournament championship)."
The 2026 roster consists of four sophomores and five freshmen.
The returning sophomores are Brewer, Wyatt McDonald (Kansas City, Kan.), Brennan Northcutt (Oak Grove, Ala.), and Will Norton (Covington, Ga.).
The newcomers are Brayden Davis (Daphne), Matthew Fox (Northridge HS; Tuscaloosa), Dane Galiano (LaPlace, La.), Reid Larson (Spanish Fort), and Cooper Layton (Brantley).
"I've got good sophomores and a good freshman class," Sanford added. "Golf is a team sport, but it's an individual sport as well, but their chemistry – they get along. They push each other and support each other. They compete against each other but they don't have any ill thoughts towards someone if they go to a tournament and someone else doesn't.
"I think they have a lot of potential – to win some tournaments, potential to get to the national tournament and possibly win it. They have to stay consistent because in the national tournament you have to play well for four straight days."
Sanford says the team plays qualifying rounds the week before the event to determine the five-man roster.
"They qualify the week after the tournament," Sanford said. "I kind of let them battle it out to decide who is going to go. I reserve the right for the coaches pick, but they are very competitive. There are no surprises because I know they can all play and they can all help us win.
"With this group, I'm never surprised who makes this Top 5. They are talented enough that any one of them can make the Top 5. This fall, the three that made every tournament were Larson, Layton and Norton, but the other two spots have been rotated with two or three different guys. Like I said, I am not surprised if someone slides into the fourth and fifth spot that wasn't there the last tournament."
Shelton State will open the spring season this weekend at the Lakehawk Invitational at the Green Valley Country Club in Clermont, Fla. The three-day event runs Sunday, Jan. 25 through Tuesday, Jan. 27. Other participating teams are Lake Sumter State College, Northeastern Technical College, Jefferson State, University of Mobile (NAIA), Snead State, Enterprise State, and USC Sumter.
"I am looking forward to this weekend and the spring with these guys," Sanford added. "They have an awesome opportunity to push the girls a little bit because the girls have gotten off to a really good start. I think they are ready for it. I am excited about it and I think we are going to do really well this semester."