Men’s golf bounces back with 10-under second round at SEC Championship

SEA ISLAND, Ga. – Thursday was moving day at the SEC Championship as Auburn men's golf turned in a 270 (-10) to jump four spots on the leaderboard and place itself inside the top-five heading into Friday's stroke-play finale.
 
"Today exemplifies what this team is capable of doing every day," Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said. "Our guys made their adjustments and the results showed up in the scorecards. Now, we've just got to stay locked in and get the job done tomorrow so that we're still playing this weekend."
 
The Tigers were aided by below-par rounds from four of the five men in the lineup. Sophomore workhorse J.M. Butler led the Auburn charge, firing a 64 (-6) to improve on his total from the previous round by 11 shots. Butler's surge resulted in a 41-place jump on the player leaderboard, the largest of the day. He now sits at tied for 16th place with a 139 (-1)
 
"I am not surprised in the slightest by J.M.'s performance," Clinard said. "He holds himself to a higher standard than most, so I knew he was going to come out swinging with a vengeance today."
 
Junior Alex Vogelsong carded a 68 (-2) to improve to 138 (-2). The Palm City, Florida native leads the Auburn pack through 36 holes at tied for 13th place. Also chipping in rounds below par were junior Austin Coggin and freshman Evan Vo, both of whom shot 69 (-1) on Thursday.
 
As a team, the Tigers are four strokes ahead of the current match play cutoff at even par. Tomorrow's final round will determine whether the team advances onto that next stage of competition on Saturday and Sunday.
 
For Friday's final round, Auburn will be paired with Texas A&M and Georgia and will tee off on the first hole with Easley beginning at 7:50 a.m. CT.