AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn men's golf team earned an NCAA Tournament bid for the 32nd time in program history, and the 12th time under head coach Nick Clinard, and will head to Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club as the No. 3 seed in the Norman Regional.
The Tigers have not missed a tournament under Clinard's tenure and have advanced to NCAA Championships eight times.
"We're excited to have been chosen and to have the opportunity to compete at NCAA Regionals," Clinard said. "It's a testament to our guys and the season that they've had. We have good vibes and good memories from competing there a few years ago, so we're looking forward to getting out there and making some more with this team."
The Tigers played Jimmie Austin in 2018 as part of another regional. The team advanced onto the NCAA Championships with the fourth-best score and was led by Trace Crowe.
The Norman Regional is one of six regional tournaments this year and will run from May 16-18. There are 13 teams in the regional, and the top five teams and top two individuals (not on an advancing team) will advance to the NCAA Championships from May 27 to June 1 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Auburn heads to Oklahoma after a regular season that saw the Tigers notch top-three finishes in six of eight stroke-play outings, including a pair of victories at the Nexus Collegiate and the General Hackler Championship. Following play at the SEC Championship, the team is ranked 18th in the latest Golfstat Poll.
Of the 13 schools set to face off, nine are ranked inside Golfstat's top 50. No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 7 Texas will play as the one and two seeds, respectively, and No. 24 South Carolina will make the trip as the four seed. Also in the regional will be Ole Miss, Louisville, Missouri, San Diego State, Utah, Kent State, Kansas State, UT Martin and Rider.
Auburn holds a 12-7 record with a -165 shot differential against the tournament field this year as the team has played nine of the regional opponents at least once already this season.
Both sophomore J.M. Butler and junior Alex Vogelsong have NCAA experience from a season ago with the Tigers' appearance at the Stillwater Regional, however, none of the team's 12-man roster has advanced to the NCAA Championship before.
2022 NCAA Norman Regional – Teams by Seed
1. Oklahoma (1)
2. Texas (7)
3. Auburn (18)
4. South Carolina (24)
5. Ole Miss (26)
6. Louisville (36)
7. Missouri (37)
8. San Diego State (50)
9. Utah (49)
10. Kent State
11. Kansas State
12. UT Martin
13. Rider
