FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – After starting the day in 10th place, the Auburn men's golf team used a 3-under round to move into eighth overall at 12-over (303-285--588) after the second round of the Blessings Collegiate Invitational Tuesday.
The Tigers were one of three teams to shoot below-par rounds at the par-72 Blessings Golf Club, joining Alabama and Mississippi State.
Four strokes separate Auburn from fourth place Texas A&M (588). Alabama leads the field at 3-under (573), followed by Tennessee (575) and Kentucky (577).
Each Tiger improved their second round card from their first by at least two strokes. The team piled up 14 birdies spread evenly across the front and back nine.
Andrew Kozan is tied for fourth at 3-under (72-69--141). The senior had a team-best six birdies, including three of his final four holes, and was under par in both the front and back nine.
C.J. Easley provided the second-lowest round of the day by an Auburn golfer and is tied for 20th at 2-over (76-70--146). The sophomore was steady all day, tying for a team-high 14 pars. Easley fended off a bogey on the second hole and shot 3-under the rest of the way without a blemish.
J.M. Butler had the highlight of the day when he carded an eagle on the 559-yard, par-5 15th. Butler matched Easley's par total of 14 and shot 1-under on his final 11 holes to move into a tie for 32nd at 5-over (78-71--149).
Wells Padgett and Alex Vogelsong rounded out the Tiger contingent and are tied for 45th and 60th, respectively, heading into the final round. Padgett sits at 8-over (77-75--152), while Vogelsong is at 11-over (79-76--155).
Auburn is set to tee off the final round of the Blessings Collegiate Invitational Wednesday at 7:40 a.m. CT, beginning on the back nine. Golf Channel is set to provide live coverage from 2:30-6:30 p.m. Live stats can be found on Golfstat.com.
Team Scores
1. Alabama: -3 (291-282--573)
2. Tennessee: -1 (280-295--575)
3. Kentucky: +1 (288-289--577)
4. Texas A&M: +8 (288-296--584)
T-5. Vanderbilt: +10 (297-289--586)
T-5. South Carolina: +10 (296-290--586)
7. Arkansas: +11 (293-294--587)
8. Auburn: +12 (303-285--588)
9. Mississippi State: +13 (304-285--589)
10. LSU: +15 (291-300--591)
11. Florida: +17 (300-293--593)
12. Georgia: +25 (305-296--601)
13. Missouri: +27 (311-292--603)
14. Ole Miss: +43 (304-315--619)
Auburn Individuals
T-4. Andrew Kozan: -3 (72-69--141)
T-20. C.J. Easley: +2 (76-70--146)
T-32. J.M. Butler: +5 (78-71--149)
T-45. Wells Padgett: +8 (77-75--152)
T-60. Alex Vogelsong: +11 (79-76--155)
Auburn rises up leaderboard at Blessings Collegiate Invitational
