CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 6 Auburn men's golf shot even par Tuesday to finish the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial in a tie for fourth place at 14-under 838.
Three Tigers shared the Auburn lead at 3-under 210 as Reed Lotter, Alex Vogelsong and J.M. Butler all finished with identical scores to tie for 15th place. Freshman Lotter was the only Auburn player to complete all three rounds below par, pushing his yearly total to 12, the fifth-best by a rookie in school history. Just two months into his collegiate career, Lotter is already closing in on Brandon Mancheno's record of 19 set during the 2016-17 season.
"This week was a good week for me," Lotter said. "While I didn't necessarily score my best or hit it great, it was good to see what I need to work on to further prepare for our postseason. I like where my game is at the moment, and just need to refine my short game and wedges. I'm stoked for postseason to get started at Sea Island next week on a course I am very familiar with."
Auburn individual player Evan Vo carded the team's low round of the afternoon with a 69 (-2), dropping to 211 (-2) for the event and earning a 20th place finish. The round marked the 14th time Vo has scored in the 60s in his career.
Junior Carson Bacha and sophomore Brendan Valdes finished at even par after shooting 72 (+1) and 71 (E) on Tuesday, respectively.
"Obviously not how we wanted to finish this week," Tigers head coach Nick Clinard said. "We're going to flush this one and learn from our mistakes moving forward. Postseason doesn't know who's supposed to win, so we're starting fresh, focused on one shot at a time."
Next up, Auburn begins postseason action on the hunt for its fifth conference title at the SEC Championship, April 19-23, on Sea Island, Georgia at Seaside Golf Club.
| Placement | Golfer | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T15th | Reed Lotter | 70 (-1) | 70 (-1) | 70 (-1) | 210 (-3) |
| T15th | Alex Vogelsong | 69 (-2) | 66 (-5) | 75 (+4) | 210 (-3) |
| T15th | J.M. Butler | 71 (E) | 68 (-3) | 71 (E) | 210 (-3) |
| T20th | Evan Vo (Ind.) | 72 (+1) | 70 (-1) | 69 (-2) | 211 (-2) |
| T26th | Carson Bacha | 70 (-1) | 71 (E) | 72 (+1) | 213 (E) |
| T26th | Brendan Valdes | 72 (+1) | 70 (-1) | 71 (E) | 213 (E) |
| T4th | TEAM | 280 (-4) | 274 (-10) | 284 (E) | 838 (-14) |
TEAM STANDINGS:
1. No. 7 Florida State 811 (-41)
2. No. 21 Virginia 825 (-27)
3. RV Arkansas 828 (-24)
4. No. 6 Auburn 838 (-14)
5. RV Northwestern 838 (-14)
6. Jacksonville 845 (-7)
7. Kentucky 851 (-1)
8. Virignia (B) 855 (+3)
9. Virginia Tech 857 (+5)
10. St. Mary's 863 (+11)
11. Loyola Maryland 864 (+12)
12. UNC Wilmington 876 (+24)
13. Texas State 877 (+25)
14. Kennesaw State 880 (+28)
15. East Carolina 881 (+29)