NASSAU, Bahamas – Auburn men's golf claimed its 38th team championship under head coach Nick Clinard with a victory at the inaugural Nexus Collegiate Wednesday.
As a team, the Tigers shot 911, 47-over to edge out the competition and secure the win. It was Auburn's first team championship since dominating the Tiger Invitational last spring.
The victory was hard-fought as winds of 20+ MPH plagued the island throughout the week, causing an overall 79.80 strokes per round average for the tournament.
"The playing conditions were extremely difficult and were some of the hardest I've witnessed in my 21 years as a head coach," Clinard said. "I'm extremely proud of our guys for being patient and showing grit every day. It is tough enough to win in our game as it is, so we are definitely excited to be collecting the hardware this week."
On the course, sophomore J.M. Butler led the Auburn charge. The Louisville, Kentucky native shot 224, 8-over to conclude play two strokes shy of the event's individual crown. The finish marks Butler's third top-five outing in four tournaments.
Junior Austin Coggin also joined in on the party with the first top-five outing of his career, shooting 225, 9-over for a fifth-place finish. Coggin leads the team with 53 birdies made through 12 rounds this year.
York, Pennsylvania native Carson Bacha rallied to rebound from a tough first round and shoot 147, 3-over through the final two days to record his first career finish inside the top 10.
Rounding out the Auburn lineup was junior C.J. Easley and freshmen Brendan Valdes and Evan Vo. The trio shot 233 (+17), 237 (+21) and 237 (+21), respectively, to record top-25 finishes.
Junior Alex Vogelsong also notched a tied for 32nd-place finish in his spring debut.
"We have much to improve if we want to make the jump from very good to great," Clinard said. "This week showed coach Williams and I exactly where we are and what we need to address. We are excited to get back to work and keep improving throughout the spring."
UP NEXT
The Tigers return home for a quick tune-up before hosting the 10th edition of the Tiger Invitational March 6-8.
| Placement | Golfer | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | J.M. Butler | 73 (+1) | 73 (+1) | 78 (+6) | 224 (+8) |
| 5 | Austin Coggin | 77 (+5) | 74 (+2) | 74 (+2) | 225 (+9) |
| T10 | Carson Bacha (I) | 83 (+11) | 73 (+1) | 74 (+2) | 230 (+14) |
| T12 | C.J. Easley | 74 (+2) | 82 (+10) | 77 (+5) | 233 (+17) |
| T23 | Evan Vo | 80 (+8) | 78 (+6) | 79 (+7) | 237 (+21) |
| T23 | Brendan Valdes | 84 (+12) | 76 (+4) | 77 (+5) | 237 (+21) |
| T32 | Alex Vogelsong (I) | 79 (+7) | 83 (+11) | 79 (+7) | 241 (+25) |
| 1 | TEAM | 304 (+16) | 301 (+13) | 306 (+18) | 911 (+47) |