Auburn opens NCAA Championship with top-five finish

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. –  In its first trip to the NCAA Championship in three seasons, the Auburn men's golf team finished tied for second place following round one of play on Friday at Grayhawk Golf Club.
 
"Today was a great, tough test," Tigers head coach Nick Clinard said. "The greens are baked out and it's getting tougher as the hours go by. It's certainly going to separate the field, and that's what we want. We've got to be at our best if we want a chance to play for the championship."
 
Shooting 285 (+5), the squad was led by freshman Brendan Valdes at 2-under 68. Valdes' opening frame tally was tops amongst all individual competitors.
 
The Orlando, Florida native combatted two bogeys with four birdies, including back-to-back birdies on holes three and four. The round marked his eighth in the 60s this season.
 
"(Brendan) Valdes played great," Clinard said. "He's such a talented kid and great athlete. Chris (Williams) has done such a nice job with him, walking with him and coaching him up. Brendan's certainly playing some of the best golf of his career, and I think the sky is the limit."
 

Back-to-Back Birdies on 3 & 4 😎🤙@Brendan_Valdes is 2-under #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/bttTVdv4i5

— Auburn Men's Golf (@AuburnMGolf) May 27, 2022
 

 
Sophomore J.M. Butler, junior Alex Vogelsong and freshman Evan Vo also carded solid outings with Butler and Vogelsong finishing at 2-over (72) and Vo finishing at 3-over (73).
 
Sophomore Carson Bacha rounded out the Tiger pack at 76 (+6).
 
Vanderbilt leads the team field through 18 holes at 282 (+2). In addition to Valdes, Harry Hillier of Kansas leads the individual leaderboard at 68 (-2).
 
For Saturday's round, Auburn will be paired with Ole Miss and Florida State once more and will tee off from the first hole at 1:30 p.m. CT.
 
"If we want to be successful tomorrow, we've got to stay in the present and accept what the course gives us," Clinard said. "We've got to understand that it's going to be tough but still be ready to battle. Understanding the value of a par is important. Bogeys aren't going to kill us, so we've just got to keep rolling and plugging along."