AUBURN, Ala. – Jacob Solomon picked a great Saturday for his first visit to Auburn. Nov. 30, 2013. The Kick Six.
"I knew hardly anything about Auburn, being from California," Solomon said. "That was an amazing experience. I ended up choosing to come here, and loved it."
In junior golf, Solomon met Matt Gilchrest, an Auburn golfer who suggested that Solomon visit the Plains, a 2,400-mile trek from his hometown of Dublin in the Bay Area.
"'Hey, you need to come check out Auburn," Solomon said, recalling his future teammate's pitch. "'It's a really great place, the facilities are amazing. You'll love the coaches.'"
Solomon and fellow senior Trace Crowe tee off Friday in their final tournament for Auburn, the NCAA Championship at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
"I feel very well prepared," Solomon said. "We've played a lot of the best tournaments that you can play in the college circuit. This year, we had one of the toughest schedules in the country, in terms of strength of field at each event."
Solomon and Crowe both plan to play amateur golf this summer before turning pro in the fall to compete in qualifying school for the Web.com Tour.
"Playing against the best and playing in the SEC for four years, Solomon said. "Getting to compete with them, and you can see that you're almost on the same level that they are, it's pretty encouraging."
Last year at NCAAs, Auburn advanced to the match play semifinals before falling to eventual national champion Oklahoma State, an experience that seasoned and motivated the Tigers for a return trip.
"If we take the pressure out of it, and just have some fun with it, I think that will lead to our best performance," Solomon said. "When we go out here at one of our home courses and just have fun, the golf is amazing. If we can stay in the mindset that it's a fun round of golf and this is a great experience, I think that's the best thing for us."
Senior Jacob Solomon has Auburn's third best stroke average (71.76)
After his professional golf career, Solomon intends to work in sales, a profession that aligns well with his golfing background.
"Thanks to Auburn," he said. "I had an absolutely amazing time for these four years. Hopefully, I cap it off with a national championship."
Basketball was Trace Crowe's game of choice growing up. Both parents played hoops.
Golf? "I always thought golf was boring," he said, laughing. "It still is."
One day, Trace's father suggested they give golf a try.
"We started hitting it, then I just slowly fell in love with it, and just kept going from there," Crowe said. "He got me into some tournaments, and here we are."
Auburn head coach Nick Clinard first observed Crowe on the golf course when Trace was an eighth grader, playing in the Carolinas Junior event in Clinard's hometown of Gastonia, North Carolina.
Crowe committed to the Tigers during his sophomore year of high school.
"I love the coaches," he said. "I love everything about Auburn, the family. I hate that I only have one tournament left. I love this place."
In his four years at Auburn, Crowe has developed on and off the course.
"The biggest thing, when I got here freshman year, is learning how to practice," he said. "I used to get a bucket of balls and just smack it. Coaches teach you how to practice and how to prepare, which clubs you need to work on, distance, all the little things, especially around the short game."
Crowe (71.61) and Solomon (71.76) trail only junior Jovan Rebula (70.79) in stroke average, leading by example as the seniors conclude their Auburn careers.
"When you're practicing like an athlete does, every day, and you have class, it just flies by," Crowe said. "It's been awesome. I've enjoyed every second of it."
"A really special opportunity."
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) May 23, 2019
🗣@JacobCSolomon
"Hopefully, we can get in there and have a chance at it again."
🗣@TraceCrowe @AuburnMGolf seniors preview #NCAAGolf Championship, which tees off Friday in Fayetteville
"We know we have the talent to do it." pic.twitter.com/m2Gc00nq5h
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer