MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – No. 5 Auburn men's golf carded a 284 (-4) in the final round of the General Hackler Championship Tuesday to finish third and lock down the team's sixth top-three placement seven tournaments into 2022-23 the season.
Overall, the Tigers shot 849 (-15) to claim the bronze medal. Five players finished inside the top 25, including three in the top 10.
"Proud of the guys for hanging tough and competing in some cold weather on a tough track," Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said. "We found a way to hit some quality shots under less-than-ideal circumstances, which is a small win, but we've got to head back and start working on our short irons, wedges and putting if we want to take that next step to the elite level as postseason is just around the corner."
For Tuesday's third set of 18, junior J.M. Butler delivered the top round of the day with a 70 (-2). The Louisville, Kentucky product locked down 10th-place at 5-under for the week to snag the 12th top-10 finish of his Auburn career, tying the eighth-best mark in program history.
"It wasn't necessarily the week we were looking for," Butler said. "We left a lot of shots out there due to poor decision making and a lack of discipline. We are going to have to continue to build our confidence with the putter over the next couple weeks. If we can do that, there is no team in the country that can touch us."
Following his performance at the Hackler, Butler also climbs into the top-10 records list for career rounds below par. With 45 to his credit, he ties Lee Williams for No. 8 in history.
Another Tiger rapidly etching his name in history, Brendan Valdes, led the lineup for the fourth time this season. The sophomore signed for a 71 (-1) in his last outing to total a 210 (-6) for the tournament, tying for eighth place. With the finish, Valdes solidifies his fifth top-10 performance of the year after recording only two a season ago.
With a scorecard that featured a trio of birdies and an eagle on 15, the highlight for Valdes was the birdie on 7, his team-leading 100th of the season. He chases Michael Johnson's single-season record of 164 set in 2016.
Next up, freshman Reed Lotter delivered yet another exciting outing for the Tigers as he matched Monday's round two score with another even-par 72 in round three. He finished at 4-under 212 for the event to earn 14th-place on the leaderboard. Lotter has yet to finish outside the top-15 in the first four tournaments of his collegiate career.
Auburn's individual golfer, Alex Vogelsong, was the third man to play inside the event's top-10 performers. Vogelsong played all three rounds at par or better with a 71 (-1) in his finale for a cumulative 211 (-5).
Juniors Carson Bacha and Ryan Eshleman wrapped up the scoring for the Orange & Blue contingent as Bacha ended his week with a 71 (-1) to score 216 (E) and Eshleman concluded his week with a 77 (+5) to finish at 227 (+11).
ETSU collected the General Hackler Championship at 840 (-24) while the individual title was shared by ETSU's Mats Ege and Virginia's Ben James at 203 (-13).
Now, the Tigers have a brief break before taking off to the penultimate event of the regular season, the Mossy Oak Collegiate, April 3-4, at Mossy Oak Golf Club in West Point, Mississippi.
| Placement | Golfer | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T8th | Brendan Valdes | 72 (E) | 67 (-5) | 71 (-1) | 210 (-6) |
| T10th | J.M. Butler | 68 (-4) | 73 (+1) | 70 (-2) | 211 (-5) |
| T10th | Alex Vogelsong (Ind.) | 68 (-4) | 72 (E) | 71 (-1) | 211 (-5) |
| 14th | Reed Lotter | 68 (-4) | 72 (E) | 72 (E) | 212 (-4) |
| T25th | Carson Bacha | 72 (E) | 73 (+1) | 71 (-1) | 216 (E) |
| T66th | Ryan Eshleman | 76 (+4) | 74 (+2) | 77 (+5) | 227 (+11) |
| 3rd | TEAM | 280 (-8) | 285 (-3) | 284 (-4) | 849 (-15) |
TEAM STANDINGS
1 ETSU 840 (-24)
2 No. 16 Virginia 846 (-18)
3 No. 5 Auburn 849 (-15)
T4 RV Louisville 850 (-14)
T4 Kent State 850 (-14)
6 NC State 855 (-9)
7 Liberty 856 (-8)
8 RV Duke 863 (-1)
9 South Carolina 869 (+5)
10 Furman 870 (+6)
11 East Carolina 882 (+18)
12 Coastal Carolina 885 (+21)
13 RV North Florida 886 (+22)
14 Charlotte 892 (+28)