AUBURN, Ala. – For the 28th time in program history, Auburn men's golf is headed to the NCAA Championship as the Tigers shot even par in Wednesday's final round of the NCAA Regional hosted by Auburn University Club to finish first and punch their ticket to the sport's premier event.
The 2023 NCAA Championship is set for May 26-31 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The Tigers shot 1-under 863 to edge out No. 1 Vanderbilt by a single shot. The win ties the school record as the only other team to record five victories in a year came during the 1996-97 season.
"We haven't won a regional since I've been here, so I'm really proud of the guys for grinding it out and getting this one done," Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said. "They all played great. It's tough out there, but they were resilient. They're such a hardworking group, so this is well-earned. We're headed to the National Championship and we're going to enjoy it."
Four of the Tigers' five players finished the week inside the top 15, highlighted by sophomore Brendan Valdes in sixth.
Valdes finished his run with a 74 (+2). The Orlando, Florida native made birdie four more times in his final round, all coming in a five-hole stretch, to bring his season total to 140, the eighth-most all-time.
Auburn found its low round of the afternoon via senior Alex Vogelsong. Vogelsong fired a 70 for the 44th subpar round of his career. The Palm City, Florida product made 15 straight pars before making birdie on 16 and 17 and parring 18 for the clean 2-under.
"I stayed pretty patient all day and hit a lot of good shots," Vogelsong said. "My putts just weren't falling in, but then I made two coming in late that were icing on the cake for a good round. It was a great week for all of us though. I'm proud of this team and how we played."
Juniors Carson Bacha and J.M. Butler both shot even par Wednesday. Bacha played a clean 34 on the front half with a pair of birdies on 2 and 7 while Butler finished strong on his back stretch with a 35 thanks to birdies three of his final six holes. Freshman Reed Lotter wrapped up his regional debut with a 75 (+3).
"Honestly, I just poured my heart and soul into today's round, and really gave it everything I had and just stayed in the fight," Butler said. "Just really grinding my butt off because I knew I didn't have my best stuff."
Advancing from the Auburn Regional are No. 13 Auburn, No. 1 Vanderbilt, Chattanooga, No. 25 Ohio State and No. 24 Colorado State. As the low-scoring individual of a non-advancing team, Drew Salyers of Indiana secured the individual ticket.
| Placement | Golfer | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th | Brendan Valdes | 70 (-2) | 69 (-3) | 74 (+2) | 213 (-3) |
| T10th | J.M. Butler | 74 (+2) | 70 (E) | 72 (E) | 216 (E) |
| T13th | Alex Vogelsong | 75 (+3) | 72 (E) | 70 (-2) | 217 (+1) |
| T13th | Carson Bacha | 73 (+1) | 72 (E) | 72 (E) | 217 (+1) |
| T26th | Reed Lotter | 75 (+3) | 72 (E) | 75 (+3) | 222 (+6) |
| 1st | TEAM | 292 (+4) | 283 (-5) | 288 (E) | 863 (-1) |
TEAM STANDINGS:
1. No.13 Auburn 863 (-1)
2. No. 1 Vanderbilt 864 (E)
3. Chattanooga 866 (+2)
4. No. 25 Ohio State 872 (+8)
5. No. 24 Colorado State 874 (+10)
6. Washington 880 (+16)
7. Indiana 881 (+17)
8. No. 12 Tennessee 889 (+25)
9. TCU 895 (+31)
10. Marquette 896 (+32)
11. Houston 900 (+36)
12. Siena 926 (+62)
13. Augusta 927 (+63)