AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn men's golf team is set to tee off the 2021 fall season at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate at Mirabel Country Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Friday. The event will feature 15 teams, 12 of which made an NCAA Regional in the 2020-21 season.
"We're excited to go out to Arizona and play some desert golf," said Tigers head coach Nick Clinard. "It's where our national championship is played each year. It'll be a great test for us. There are a lot of great players, great programs and great coaches competing this weekend. We played there in 2018 and the course1 is fantastic. It's always a first-class event.
"It'll be a great opportunity for our guys to go out there and prove themselves against some of the nation's best."
Making their season debut in the Tigers' lineup will be juniors Austin Coggin and Alex Vogelsong, sophomores J.M. Butler and Ryan Eshleman, and freshman Evan Vo. Junior C.J. Easley will also make the trip and play as an individual.
Coggin's sole tournament of the previous year was the Tiger Invitational where he produced a final score of 2-under (74-70-70) for a near top-20 finish.
Vogelsong averaged 71.52 strokes per round over the course of nine tournaments played a year ago, an average that was second-best amongst the regular lineup. A two-time SEC Newcomer of the Week last year, he turned in nine rounds under par, including seven rounds in the 60s. He also wrapped up the season with four top-20 performances, including two in the top 10.
Butler was the only Tiger to play in all 30 rounds of competition last season. The Kentucky native averaged 72.33 strokes per round and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team following a breakout freshman campaign. He earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors three different times (Feb. 17, March 18, March 31).
Eshelman and Vo are scheduled to make their collegiate debuts this weekend. Eshelman, a native of Birmingham, was the top-ranked player from the state of Alabama and No. 33
nationally per the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. Vo was ranked No. 20 by Golfweek/Sagarin and was the ninth-best recruit in the country per AJGA.
Joining Auburn in the field are Alabama, Arizona, Augusta, Cal-Berkeley, Clemson, Colorado State, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, New Mexico, Oregon, San Diego State, Utah and Washington. Auburn is the first team slated to go off the No. 10 tee box Friday at 10 a.m. CT. The Tigers will be paired with Louisville and San Diego State for the first round.
Live scoring for the event can be found at GolfStat.com.
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