ROCKY FACE, Ga. – The No. 6 Auburn men's golf team concluded play at its first tournament of the 2018-19 season Sunday afternoon at the Carpet Capital Collegiate. The Tigers tallied 22 birdies to go along with three eagles in their final circuit of The Farm Golf Club en route to a sixth-place finish.
"This week was a great test and we received some excellent information on what we need to work on in practice," head coach Nick Clinard said. "We will continue to grow and improve this fall as we juggle the lineup to help us figure out who our top five to six players are. I'm looking forward to a good week of preparation for our next event in Arizona."
Auburn did most of its damage on the back nine as it racked up 14 birdies in the final round. Three Tigers took it one step further as Graysen Huff, Wells Padgett and Jacob Solomon each notched eagles on the par-5, 498-yard 12th hole.
Ryan Knop, who competed as an individual for the tournament, led the charge with a 4-under 68 to finish in a tie for fourth at 6-under (71-71-68--210). The Pleasanton, Calif. native carded a team-best six birdies in the third round, including five on the back nine.
Brandon Mancheno and Solomon also earned top-20 finishes for the Tigers. Solomon tied for 11th after a season-low 3-under 69 Sunday to end the weekend at 2-under (74-71-69--214). Mancheno tied for 16th at even par following an even-par final round (73-71-72--216).
The sophomore duo of Andrew Kozan and Padgett finished in a tie for 27th and 46th, respectively. Kozan ended his first outing of the season at 3-over (75-69-75--219), while Padgett capped the weekend at 6-over (71-76-75--222).
Huff rounded out the Tiger contingent as he tied for 53rd overall at 8-over (78-73-73--224).
No. 7 Georgia Tech and Tennessee (843) tied for the top spot, but the Vols emerged victorious in the playoff round.
No. 2 Alabama (845) finished third, followed by No. 13 Clemson (863), South Carolina (863), No. 6 Auburn (866), No. 9 LSU (873), Virginia (873), North Florida (873), Colorado State (881), No. 11 Cal (882), Kennesaw State (886), No. 8 Florida (892), Chattanooga (895) and Dalton State (914).
The Tigers return to the links Sept. 21-23 for the Maui Jim Intercollegiate in Scottsdale, Ariz at Mirabel Golf Club.
Team Scores
T-1. Tennessee: -21 (280-276-287--843) - won on playoff
T-1. Georgia Tech: -21 (281-275-287--843)
3. Alabama: -19 (288-270-287--845)
T-4. Clemson: -1 (290-294-279--863)
T-4. South Carolina: -1 (294-284-285--863)
6. Auburn: +2 (293-284-289--866)
T-7. LSU: +9 (296-292-285--873)
T-7. Virginia: +9 (294-284-295--873)
T-7. North Florida: +9 (301-285-287--873)
10. Colorado State: +17 (301-299-281--881)
11. Cal: +18 (301-284-297--882)
12. Kennesaw State: +22 (288-300-298--886)
13. Florida: +28 (301-296-295--892)
14. Chattanooga: +31 (295-294-306--895)
15. Dalton State: +50 (303-297-314--914)
Auburn Individuals
T-4. Ryan Knop: -6 (71-70-68--210) - ind.
T-11. Jacob Solomon: -2 (74-71-69--214)
T-16. Brandon Mancheno: E (73-71-72--216)
T-27. Andrew Kozan: +3 (75-69-75--219)
T-46. Wells Padgett: +6 (71-76-75--222)
T-53. Graysen Huff: +8 (78-73-73--224)
Auburn wraps up play at Carpet Capital Collegiate
