AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn men's golf team will make the short trek to Shoal Creek, Alabama for the penultimate test of its fall season at the SEC Match Play Championship.
Formerly known as the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate, the event will now transition into the SEC Match Play Championship hosted by Jerry Pate after successful a 35-year run.
"Shoal Creek is a great course with a lot of history," said junior Alex Vogelsong. "It'll be nice to get some more match play experience because that is the type of play we'll see in the postseason. We're going to get some good reps under our belt so that we are prepared for those big moments come spring."
The three-day match play tournament will begin Sunday at the Shoal Creek Golf Club with teams playing 36 holes to commence championship action. Each school will play 18 holes on both Monday and Tuesday regardless of win-loss record heading into the finals.
Sunday's morning matchup will see the Tigers face off against Ole Miss with the first pair teeing off at 8:40 a.m. CT.
A victory against the Rebels would result in the Tigers facing the winner of the Arkansas/Mississippi State match later that afternoon. A loss in the morning matchup would send Auburn into the pool play consolation bracket against the loser of Tennessee/Missouri.
All 14 SEC squads will vie for the match play trophy, including eight who are nationally recognized in the latest edition of the Bushnell Golfweek Coaches' Poll. Top-ranked teams include #10 Vanderbilt, #11 Texas A&M, #13 Georgia, #14 Arkansas, #15 Tennessee, #18 Auburn, #20 Florida and #24 LSU.
Joining Vogelsong in the Tiger lineup will be juniors Austin Coggin and C.J. Easley, and sophomores Carson Bacha and J.M. Butler.
During last weekend's action at the Barbara Nicklaus Cup, Vogelsong did not surrender either of his individual matches against Arizona State or Ohio State. Coggin also contributed to the Tigers' point total with one solo and one mixed pair victory over Ohio State and tournament champion Florida State, respectively.
Butler has been a mainstay in the Auburn lineup thanks to his blazing start to the season, setting the program record for lowest 54-hole mark at 17 under at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate. The Louisville, Kentucky native looks to continue his steady fall slate, setting the Tigers up for another successful run in the spring.
York, Pennsylvania native Bacha will make his collegiate debut at the event after no taste of action in the abridged 2020-21 season.
Easley will compete in his third tournament of the fall campaign, marking nine appearances for the junior in the last 11 Tiger contests.
Live stats for the event can be found at GolfStat.com.
