OPELIKA, Ala. – The No. 10 Auburn men's golf team showcased its abundance of talent after the first round of the Tiger Invitational Sunday afternoon. The Tigers, who are fielding two teams in the three-day tournament, are in first and third place following the opening 18 holes at the par-72, 7,289-yard Grand National Lake Course.
Auburn's main squad shot a 9-under 279 and leads ULM by one stroke, while it's "B" Team carded a 4-under 284.
"It was a good day," head coach Nick Clinard said. "We made a lot of birdies early and flat-lined a little bit in the middle, but we finished strong and posted a good team score. I'm really proud of our depth."
C.J. Easley is tied for the lead after scoring a career-low 4-under 68. The freshman turned in a team-high eight birdies on the day, including six on his opening 10 holes.
Just one shot back, Graysen Huff, Andrew Kozan and Jovan Rebula are part of a nine-way tie for third at 3-under (69). The trio combined for 15 birdies to go along with 34 pars and just five bogeys in the three rounds.
Austin Coggin, Jake Milanowski, Wells Padgett and Alex Vogelsong make up half of an eight-way tie for 21st at even par (72). Milanowski had the highlight of the day when he knocked in an eagle on the 557-yard, par-5 seventh hole.
Rounding out the lineup, Brandon Mancheno is in a tie for 72nd at 6-over (78) and Reagan Harrell is 95th at 10-over (82).
The Tigers' main squad is paired with Louisiana Tech and ULM for the second round and will tee off from the No. 1 tee box at 9:48 a.m. CT. Auburn's "B" Team begins play at 8:45 a.m. CT in a group with James Madison and South Alabama.
The Tiger Invitational is free to attend and open to the public. Live scoring is available on Golfstat.com.
Team Scores
1. Auburn: -9 (279)
2. ULM: -8 (280)
3. Auburn "B" Team: -4 (284)
4. Louisiana Tech: -1 (287)
T-5. Kentucky: +3 (291)
T-5. Western Kentucky: +3 (291)
T-7. Toledo: +4 (292)
T-7. Arkansas State: +4 (292)
T-8. North Alabama: +4 (292)
T-10. Florida Atlantic: +8 (296)
T-10. Charlotte: +8 (296)
T-10. Georgia State: +8 (296)
13. Chattanooga: +9 (297)
14. James Madison: +11 (299)
15. South Alabama: +12 (300)
16. Austin Peay: +18 (306)
17. Southern Miss: +19 (307)
18. Mercer: +24 (312)
19. Kennesaw State: +26 (314)
20. Morehead State: +30 (318)
Auburn Individuals
T-1. C.J. Easley: -4 (68) - ind.
T-3. Jovan Rebula: -3 (69)
T-3. Graysen Huff: -3 (69)
T-3. Andrew Kozan: -3 (69)
T-21. Alex Vogelsong: E (72) - ind.
T-21. Jake Milanowski: E (72) - ind.
T-21. Wells Padgett: E (72)
T-21. Austin Coggin: E (72) - ind.
T-72. Brandon Mancheno: +6 (78)
95. Reagan Harrell: +10 (82) - ind.