No. 6 Auburn jumps out front to start Mossy Oak Collegiate

WEST POINT, Miss. – Following Monday's rounds of competition to begin the 2023 Mossy Oak Collegiate, No. 6 Auburn is tied for first at 270 (-18) heading into the final day of action.
 
The Tigers wasted no time as they catapulted to the top of the leaderboard thanks to the third-best team round in program history. Auburn also set a new Mossy Oak Collegiate record for team solo round, breaking the old best of 279 (-9) from 2022, also set by the Tigers.
 
With a delayed start caused by inclement weather, teams were unable to squeeze the scheduled 36 holes of play on Monday, completing one round and half of round two before it was called due to darkness. All players will finish the 54-hole event Tuesday, beginning in a shotgun start at 8 a.m. CT.
 
"We played some really great golf today," Tigers head coach Nick Clinard said. "Of course, you're never going to be 100% perfect, but today, we really started to get back to where we were last fall. That all begins with our connectivity and confidence. There's no doubt that these guys have what it takes to dig deep and finish this thing on top tomorrow."
 
In the first round, it was junior Carson Bacha who set the pace as the York, Pennsylvania native tied his career low with a 6-under 66. Bacha matched a single bogey on 11 with seven birdies, including a stretch of three in a row on holes 5-7.
 
Led by Bacha in third, Auburn placed all six of its competitors in the top 30 and was the only school to see five finish round one inside the top 15.
 
Following Bacha were freshman Reed Lotter and junior Ryan Eshleman, both of whom capped round one in seventh place with a 67 (-5) on the scorecard. Both men carded a 33 on the front nine followed by a 34 on the back. Lotter erased a bogey with five birdies while Eshleman outmatched a double with seven birdies.

"Today was another really good ball-striking day for me," Lotter said. "I like the way I am driving the ball off the tee. Nice to see some putts fall as well. Can't wait to get after it tomorrow!"

"Super fun day," Eshleman said. "I felt like I've put a lot of work into my putting over the last couple of weeks and it paid off today, which was great to see. We'll all get some rest tonight and go out and try and win this thing tomorrow."  

Checking in at 4-under 68, Auburn's next low man was sophomore Brendan Valdes. Valdes extended his par or better streak to 14 consecutive rounds thanks to a scorecard that was highlighted by his fourth eagle of the year on the tenth hole.
 
Junior J.M. Butler became the fifth Tiger to cap the opener inside the top 15 with a 69 (-3) in his debut. The performance pushes the Louisville, Kentucky product into a tie for seventh in school history for career subpar rounds with 46 total.
 
Bringing up the rear was Alex Vogelsong as the senior solidified the sixth subpar outing for Auburn on the day with a 2-under 70.
 
Through half of round two, the Orange & Blue hold strong in a tie for first with No. 15 Tennessee at 28-under. On Tuesday, teams will finish round two before playing the final set of 18 at Mossy Oak Golf Club.