Auburn ties for second, Kozan co-medalist at Gator Invitational

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Andrew Kozan earned co-medalist honors and led the No. 8 Auburn men's golf team to a tie for second at the Gator Invitational Saturday afternoon. The Tigers finished at 24-under (276-267-273--816) at the par-70 Mark Bostick Golf Course and tied with No. 5 Georgia.

"We had a good weekend," head coach Nick Clinard said. "Overall, I'm really pleased with the guys. They played well. For the first tournament of the spring against one of the best fields in the country and have a chance to win, that's all you can ask for.

"We just have to clean up some stuff when we get home. If we clean up our wedge play and clean up our putting, we'll have a chance to win every time we tee off. That just shows the depth that we have. We've got a really good team. We'll just keep pushing each other, keep being competitive and see how good we can get."

Kozan paced the Tigers during the weekend and tied for the top spot in the field at 11-under (70-64-65--199). It is the senior's first individual crown of his career as he shared the honors with Georgia's Trent Phillips.

"I am really happy for Andrew," Clinard said. "He just keeps getting better. From his freshman year until now, he's put a lot of work in. He's been really diligent and smart. He's really matured a lot as a person on and off the golf course. I'm thrilled for him to out and perform the way that he did this weekend to come out as a champion."

After an even-par first round, Kozan fired a 6-under 64 and a 5-under 65 to wrap up his first tournament of the spring. The West Palm Beach, Fla. native was nearly flawless across his final 36 holes, tallying 14 birdies and 19 pars.

J.M. Butler tied for 24th at 4-under (69-70-67--206). The freshman rattled off nine birdies on his final two rounds of play, including five in the final round Saturday.

Jovan Rebula and Wells Padgett tied for 28th overall at 3-under. Rebula (69-67-71--207) had 22 pars to add to eight birdies on his last two rounds. Padgett (71-69-67--207) improved his card his round and finished the last two circuits eight birdies and an eagle on the 525-yard, par-5 12th hole.

Alex Vogelsong and Graysen Huff rounded out the lineup for the Tigers. Vogelsong tied for 48th at even par (71-66-73--210), while Huff was just one stroke back at 1-over (68-73-70--211).

Florida won its home tournament at 29-under (811), followed by Auburn (816), Georgia (816), LSU (819) and Liberty (820).

The Tigers return to action Feb. 26-28 for the LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge, La.

Team Scores
1. Florida: -29 (271-275-265--811)
T-2. Auburn: -24 (276-267-273--816)
T-2. Georgia: -24 (269-270-277--816)
4. LSU: -21 (270-270-279--819)
5. Liberty: -20 (276-269-275--820)
6. Alabama: -17 (276-277-270--823)
7. Vanderbilt: -14 (277-270-279--826)
T-8. South Florida: -12 (280-272-276--828)
T-8. Tennessee: -12 (274-277-277--828)
10. Arkansas: -11 (274-279-276--829)
11. North Florida: -9 (274-285-272--831)
12. Georgia Southern: -7 (276-278-279--833)
13. Washington: -4 (277-277-282--836)
14. Jacksonville: -2 (277-278-283--838)
15. Mississippi State: +4 (284-279-281--844)
T-16. UCF: +7 (291-278-278--847)
T-16. South Carolina: +7 (276-290-281--847)
18. West Virginia: +8 (280-281-287--848)
T-19. Missouri: +9 (289-281-279--849)
T-19. Coastal Carolina: +9 (283-285-281--849)
21. Penn State: +11 (285-287-279--851)

Auburn Individuals
T-1. Andrew Kozan: -11 (70-64-65--199)
T-24. J.M. Butler: -4 (69-70-67--206)
T-28. Jovan Rebula: -3 (69-67-71--207)
T-28. Wells Padgett: -3 (71-69-67--207) - ind.
T-48. Alex Vogelsong: E (71-66-73--210)
T-57. Graysen Huff: +1 (68-73-70--211)