No. 1 Auburn cruises to third straight regional victory, Koivun earns medalist honors

by Jeff Shearer
No. 1 Auburn cruises to third straight regional victory, Koivun earns medalist honorsNo. 1 Auburn cruises to third straight regional victory, Koivun earns medalist honors

AUBURN, Ala. – More of a coronation than a competition, No. 1 Auburn sailed to its third straight regional championship, winning the NCAA Auburn Regional by 27 shots Wednesday at Auburn University Club to earn the opportunity to defend its title at the 2025 NCAA Championship.

“A fabulous week for these kids. They played some great golf, they really wanted to protect their home turf,” Auburn coach Nick Clinard said. “They had to go earn it. They had to go play at a high level and they did that this week. Hats off to them. They’re great players.”

Two-time SEC champion Jackson Koivun added another title to his stellar resume, shooting a 5-under-par 67 to finish 12-under, winning the individual crown by four shots to earn his third tournament victory of the season and fifth of his career.

“A couple putts went in coming down the stretch, which was nice,” said Koivun, who joined 1990 regional champion Jimmy Green, the general manager at AU Club, as Auburn’s only regional medalists in program history. “I hit a lot of greens this week. I took my birdies where I could and tried to avoid those bigger numbers.”

With his teammates watching from the hill above the 18th green, Koivun concluded his round in style by sinking a 35-foot birdie putt.

“The Auburn support is unbelievable,” Koivun said. “To hear that roar when that putt sank was pretty cool to experience.”

“A lot of grit, patience, composure,” Clinard said of Koivun’s final round. “Not trying to force the issue and let it come to him. He’s a great putter; he’s a great player. He’s an incredible young man and his work ethic is through the roof. He’s an elite competitor.”

In a stunning display of depth and dominance, all five Tigers landed inside the top 15, with four claiming top-five finishes. Carson Bacha (-7) finished fourth, Brendan Valdes (-5) and Josiah Gilbert (-5) tied for fifth, and Cayden Pope (even) finished 13th.  

“Iron sharpens iron,” Clinard said. “These guys keep getting better and pushing each other. The best thing is their connectivity and brotherhood. They’re pulling for each other, and they’re competitors as well.”

Gilbert posted the Tigers’ lowest final-round score, a 6-under-par 66.

“My game is in a good place. Got the putter rolling today,” Gilbert said. “It’s proving that we’re peaking at the right time. We have a lot of trust in each other. We’re very consistent. Around your home track, it’s essential to get a win and build a little bit of confidence going into next week.”

Auburn’s 27-shot win is the second largest margin of victory in NCAA regional history, bested only Washington’s 29-shot victory in 2010. Auburn associate head coach Chris Williams, then a Huskies freshman, finished second in that event.

“We always challenge our guys to constantly compete and win golf tournaments,” Clinard said. “Next week is the one that matters though.”

The defending national champion, Auburn looks to repeat at the 2025 NCAA Championship in Carlsbad, California, May 23-28 at the Omni LaCosta Champions Course.

Also advancing out of the Auburn Regional are Texas A&M (-5), UCLA (+6), Purdue (+9) and Georgia Tech (+10).

“I think we’re in really good shape for nationals,” Koivun said. “We’re looking forward to trying to put up a fight back at LaCosta. This is fuel to the fire. We’re playing pretty confidently right now.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer