AUBURN, Ala. – The reigning Southeastern Conference champion, No. 2 Auburn, defends its title this week, April 23-27, at the 2025 SEC Men’s Golf Championship hosted by Seaside Golf Club on St. Simons Island, Georgia.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to compete for a championship in the best conference,” Tigers head coach Nick Clinard said. “We’re looking forward to getting out there and seeing what we can do against the best programs in the country.
“This team is resilient. They’re tough. They’re confident. They’re fearless when they’re out there, so the intensity of postseason and match play, if you play well enough to get there, is something they thrive in.”
Of the 16 teams set to tee off at Sea Island this week, 12 are ranked in the top 30, including six of the top eight. Auburn takes the No. 2 seed as the nation’s No. 2 team behind No. 1 Ole Miss. Also in the top 25 are No. 3 Texas, No. 6 Oklahoma, No. 7 LSU, No. 8 Florida, No. 15 Alabama, No. 17 Texas A&M, No. 18 Vanderbilt and No. 20 South Carolina. Tennessee (26), Mississippi State (29), Georgia (31), Arkansas (59), Kentucky (69) and Missouri (91) round out the field.
Auburn will play round one alongside the Rebels and Longhorns. The threesomes will tee off the first hole in 10-minute intervals starting at 7 a.m. CT. All teams will be repaired for rounds two and three of stroke play.
After three consecutive days of stroke play, the field will be cut in half as the top eight will face off in head-to-head matches. Both quarterfinal and semifinal matches will be contested on Saturday, April 26. The final match is set for Sunday, April 27.
The final three matches of the SEC Championship will be broadcast via the SEC Network or SEC Network+. The semifinal matches will appear on SEC Network+ from 3:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. CT. Sunday's championship match will air live on the SEC Network from 7 a.m. – 12 p.m. CT.
Representing the Tigers will be Jackson Koivun, Brendan Valdes, Carson Bacha, Josiah Gilbert and Cayden Pope. Making the trip as the sixth man will be fifth-year captain Ryan Eshleman. Eshleman will not make an appearance during round one, however, postseason rules allow for the substitution of the sixth player into the lineup for another player following the completion of any round.
This season, the six men have combined for three individual wins, 19 top-five finishes, 28 top-10 finishes and an impressive 89 rounds below par. Koivun checks in as the highest-ranked player at No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). Valdes (6), Gilbert (24) and Bacha (28) are also ranked inside the top 30.
Entering the week, Auburn has captured five previous SEC titles, in 1976, 1981, 2002, 2018 and most recently, 2024. Six players have earned SEC Individual Medalist — Jimmy Green (1991), Bryant MacKellar (1997), Roland Thatcher (2000), Patton Kizzire (2007), Jovan Rebula (2019) and Jackson Koivun (2024).
At the 2024 conference championship, Auburn shot 14-under in stroke play to earn the top seed for match play. Koivun ran away with low medalist honors as he pieced together a masterful 12-under 198 to win by six strokes. In match play, the Tigers bested No. 9 Alabama (3-2) and No. 11 Arkansas (4-1) in the respective quarterfinal and semifinal rounds before taking down No. 2 Vanderbilt (3-2) in the final.
The returners, Bacha, Gilbert, Koivun and Valdes, accounted for nine of Auburn’s 10 match-play points won during last year’s run.
Throughout the 2024-25 regular season, the Tigers amassed a 29-9 head-to-head record against SEC opponents. Auburn has only lost to four conference foes – LSU (1-1), Oklahoma (2-3), Ole Miss (1-1) and Texas (0-4).
Scoring for the 2025 SEC Men's Golf Championship is available via Golfstat.com. In-person attendance at the event is free. Spectators are encouraged.