ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (EETV) – Defending SEC Champion and current number two Auburn men’s golf looked for a repeat performance at Seaside Golf Course in Georgia this past weekend and was able to get out to a hot start, finishing first in the stroke play section before falling to Florida in the match-play semifinals.
Day one at Seaside was a historic one, with Auburn scoring the best opening round score by a team in the SEC Championship ever. The Tigers shot a sizzling 264 as a team, with Josiah Gilbert and Cayden Pope leading the way. Gilbert had seven birdies on the day and carded a red-hot 64 to open the tournament while Pope sat not far behind with a 65. All five Auburn golfers went under-par on day one as the Tigers opened up a seven shot lead on the field.
Day two Auburn was caught by an LSU team that lit up the course with a 263, while the Tigers managed a solid 270. Carson Bacha was the man on fire for Auburn shooting a team best 65 while sophomore and number two world amatuer Jackson Koivun came in with a 67. Auburn was tied with LSU for the top spot going into day three.
Koivun and Auburn left no doubt on day three that they were going to be the number one seed in match-play during round three, shooting a 268 and opening up a nine stroke advantage on the bayou Tigers. Jackson Koivun was the man of the day, shooting 64 and winning his second straight SEC individual championship at 12-under on the week. Koivun became the first SEC golfer to win back-to-back individual championships since 1976 as he carried Auburn into the match-play portion.
In round one of match-play, Auburn was faced off with a Texas team ranked third nationally but eighth in this tournament so far. Koivun put the first point on the board for the Tigers after Carson Bacha lost the opening match, the sophomore took down Luke Potter 4&3. Cayden Pope quickly followed with a birdie on 16 and a 4&2 win. Josiah Gilbert clinched the win with a tie on 18, securing a 1-up win. Brendan Valdes was awarded the win in the anchor match for his lead when Gilbert clinched the match for Auburn, who took down the Longhorns, 4-1.
Match two of the day didn’t go as well as the Tigers would have wished. Auburn fell behind early as Luke Poulter, son of PGA Tour player Ian Poulter, defeated Carson Bacha 3&2. Brendan Valdes responded with a dominant 5&3 victory in the second match to get a point on the board, but the Gators weren’t finished. Zack Swanwick took down Cayden Pope 6&4 as Florida was just one point away from a finals berth with two matches to play. They got the point needed as Jack Turner found a couple solid holes to take down Jackson Koivun, defeating Auburn 3.5-1.5.
Auburn begins their NCAA title defense once they are selected for a regional which will be played from May 12th to 14th. The Tigers will look to try to convert another successful season into back-to-back national championships in men’s golf.
