WAIKOLOA, Hawai'i – Auburn men's golf carded a final-round score of seven-under-par on Saturday to conclude the Amer Ari Invitational at 848, 16-under and finish 11th in a field that included 10 teams ranked inside the nation's top 25.
"I am very proud of the way our team battled this weekend," Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said. "Each guy is leaving here with something that they can take into future rounds that will not only make them tougher physically, but especially mentally. We're looking forward to heading home and grinding it out to see who will be playing for us next week."
Junior Austin Coggin leaves Hawai'i as the event's top placing individual golfer thanks to a 205, 11-under-par final tally. The Birmingham native fired a team-leading 16 birdies en route to setting new career lows for 18, 36 and 54 holes.
Saving his best round for last, junior C.J. Easley turned in a 68, four-below-par third round to place tied for 23rd on the leaderboard with a 209 (-7). Throughout the weekend, Easley made par 43 times, the most of any golfer at the tournament.
The freshman duo of Evan Vo and Brendan Valdes continued to show no signs of immaturity on the college stage, finishing 211 (-5) and 213 (-3), respectively, to earn a pair of top-50 finishes. Valdes led the Auburn lineup with 13 birdies over the three-day period.
Sophomores Carson Bacha and J.M. Butler both wrapped up Saturday's action at par. Butler shot 216 (E) on the weekend, and Bacha shot 225 (+9).
No. 5 Oklahoma State captured the Amer Ari team title behind a final round surge while the Cowboys' Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra won the individual championship with a 197 (-19).
UP NEXT
It's a quick turnaround for the men of Auburn golf as they head to the Bahamas to compete in the Nexus Collegiate Feb. 14-16. The Tigers will play host to eight other schools in the inaugural event.
| Placement | Golfer | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T10 | Austin Coggin | 67 (-5) | 67 (-5) | 71 (-1) | 205 (-11) |
| T23 | C.J. Easley | 69 (-3) | 72 (E) | 68 (-4) | 209 (-7) |
| T34 | Evan Vo | 71 (-1) | 71 (-1) | 69 (-3) | 211 (-5) |
| T45 | Brendan Valdes | 68 (-4) | 72 (E) | 73 (+1) | 213 (-3) |
| T65 | J.M. Butler | 76 (+4) | 68 (-4) | 72 (E) | 216 (E) |
| T97 | Carson Bacha | 81 (+9) | 72 (E) | 72 (E) | 225 (+9) |
| 11 | TEAM | 284 (-4) | 283 (-5) | 281 (-7) | 848 (-16) |
Team Standings
1. No. 5 Oklahoma State 814 (-50)
2. No. 9 Texas Tech 815 (-49)
3. No. 1 Arizona State 822 (-42)
4. No. 4 North Carolina 826 (-38)
5. No. 17 Washington 828 (-36)
6. No. 2 Pepperdine 830 (-34)
7. No. 18 Georgia Tech 836 (-28)
8. UCLA 838 (-26)
9. No. 6 Stanford 839 (-25)
10. No. 16 Texas 847 (-17)
11. No. 19 Auburn 848 (-16)
T12. San Jose State 850 (-14)
T12. UC Davis 850 (-14)
14. TCU 855 (-9)
15. Oregon 856 (-8)
16. Oregon State 862 (-2)
17. Hawaii 893 (+29)
18. Pacific 911 (+47)
19. Hawaii-Hilo 925 (+61)