AUBURN, Ala. – Making its 27th overall appearance and first since 2019, the Auburn men's golf team will make the trip to Scottsdale, Arizona in hopes of claiming the program's first national title at the NCAA Championship May 27 – June 1 at Grayhawk Golf Club.
"To make it to NCAAs is hard," Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said. "Out of 320 division I programs, only 30 make it here, and then only one is going to leave happy. This is a testament to our guys and all their hard work and perseverance throughout the season."
The nation's top 30 teams will begin championship action with 54 holes of stroke play Friday through Sunday. Following the third round, the top-15 scoring teams will play one final round on Monday before being dwindled down to the top eight, squaring off in match play Tuesday and Wednesday for the title.
The Tigers bring a core six that have proven themselves under pressure time and time again throughout the season. Suiting up will be juniors Austin Coggin and Alex Vogelsong, sophomores Carson Bacha and J.M. Butler and freshmen Brendan Valdes and Evan Vo. Five players will make the final lineup cut with the sixth serving as a reserve player that can be substituted following the conclusion of any round.
Butler led the Tigers in their 54 holes at the NCAA Norman Regional, shooting 9-under 207 to finish third while Valdes also solidified a big finish for the team, placing fifth at 6-under 210.
Auburn's last stint in Scottsdale resulted in a top-three finish at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate to open the fall season. Playing at the Mirabel Club, Butler smashed the school record for lowest three-round tally at 17 strokes below par. Coggin, Vo and Vogelsong also played in the event and finished below par.
Historically, the Tigers have played at NCAAs 26 times and have made the final stage on three occasions, 1994, 2003 and 2018. In 2018, the team finished tied for third place, the highest finish in school history. While it has yet to capture its first team championship, Auburn did have an individual champion in 1995. Senior Chip Spratlin defeated Stanford freshman Tiger Woods to win it all.
To kickstart this year's championship, Auburn will be paired with Florida State and Ole Miss, teeing off from the 10th hole at 8:10 a.m. CT.
Live scoring throughout the week will be available on Golfstat.com.
NCAA Championship awaits men’s golf
