Auburn two strokes off lead at SEC Golf Championships

April 25, 2014

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. - Niclas Carlsson, Matt Gilchrest and Jake Mondy all shot 2-under on the back nine as No. 26 Auburn golf stands two shots off the lead and in second place after the first day of the SEC Men's Golf Championships. Auburn is a combined minus-6 on the par-70, 7,005-yard Seaside Course at the Sea Island Golf Club at St. Simons Island, Ga.

"The guys played well in windy conditions in our tee time wave," Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said. "It was tough out there but we have great players that are very talented. This team has prepared all year to win championships and they are fun to coach."

Auburn is in second place by itself, trailing overall leader and top-ranked Alabama (minus-8) and ahead of No. 6 Georgia and No. 24 South Carolina, which are tied for third at minus-3 and are the only other teams under par after the opening round.

Carlsson and Gilchrest each opened the day with birdies on the first hole of the championship. Carlsson would finish the front nine at 1-under and finished the round with five birdies and two bogies. Gilchrest was even-par on the front nine with a pair of birdies and bogeys and then played a bogey-free back nine.

Carlsson stands in a three-way tie for fifth at minus-3, two shots behind leaders Matthew NeSmith of South Carolina and Bobby Wyatt of Alabama, both at minus-5. Gilchrest is in a three-way tie for eighth at minus-2.

Will Long finished the first round at 1-under, playing the front nine at even par and the back nine at one-under, collecting four birdies on the day. Long is tied with four others in 11th place.

Mondy rallied from three bogeys over the first five holes to finish at even-par on the day, sinking birdies on the eighth, 12th, 15th and 16th holes. Mondy is tied with four others for 16th.

Daniel Stringfellow is at plus-5 after the first round and is tied for 59th.

The second round takes place on Saturday. Auburn will tee off beginning at 9:10 a.m. ET and will be grouped with Alabama and Georgia.

Live stats for the three-day event will be available on Golfstat.com and SECSports.com.