AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn men's golf team heads to Norman, Oklahoma in hopes of securing a place at the NCAA Championship for the ninth time under head coach Nick Clinard and the 25th time overall with a top-five finish this week at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club.
"This is just another golf tournament," Clinard said, "and that's how coach (Chris) Williams and me are going to coach it. We're going to compete and play for a championship, and that's what we do whether we're playing in September, January or May."
The regional features 13 teams vying for five spots at the sport's pinnacle event later this month at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Auburn played Jimmie Austin as recently as 2018, once again as part of a regional, and advanced through to Nationals with a score of 861 (-3), led by Trace Crowe at 210 (-6).
"We've played in the state of Oklahoma a good bit in recent years, and we've got great vibes and great memories from those times, so we're looking to add on to that this week," Clinard said. "Oklahoma runs a great event. It'll be a treat for all our guys that get to experience it this year."
With a No. 18 national ranking, the Tigers earned the three seed in the regional and will compete against the likes of No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 7 Texas, No. 24 South Carolina, No. 25 Ole Miss, No. 36 Louisville, No. 37 Missouri, No. 48 San Diego State, No. 50 Utah, Kent State, Kansas State, UT Martin and Rider.
Throughout the regular season, Auburn previously faced nine of its 12 regional foes, holding a 12-6-0 record against them with a -165 total shot differential.
Making the trip for the Tigers will be a sixsome that has produced all season long. Fresh off being named All-SEC performers, sophomore J.M. Butler and freshman Evan Vo will both suit up this week. Joining them will be juniors Austin Coggin and Alex Vogelsong, sophomore Carson Bacha and freshman Brendan Valdes.
Five men will play in the lineup with the sixth player serving as a reserve that can be substituted in following the conclusion of any round. Auburn's lineup will be finalized at a later date.
Play officially begins for the Tigers Monday at 8 a.m. CT as they tee off from the first hole, paired with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma and No. 2 seed Texas.
Live scoring can be found throughout the entirety of the regional at Golfstat.com.
Men’s golf begins postseason play at NCAA Norman Regional
