AUBURN, Ala. – Packed with 14 tournaments on some of the nation's most renowned courses, Auburn men's golf looks to build on back-to-back top-10 national finishes with a challenging 2023-24 schedule, announced by head coach Nick Clinard Friday.
The season will mark the 15th with Clinard at the helm of the program.
"This is one of the most ambitious schedules we've put together in my coaching career," Clinard said. "We're going to be under constant pressure from high-level competition on some of the world's best courses. We've got the talent and the depth to make a national championship run this season, and this schedule is exactly what will prepare us for that."
Auburn will begin the season Sept. 8-10 at The Mirabel Club's Maui Jim Intercollegiate for a third year in a row as the Tigers look to defend their championship from last fall. Led by Evan Vo at 13-under, the squad cruised past a field of nine ranked programs en route to winning it all and setting a new school record at 45 strokes under par.
One of only two in-state opportunities to catch the Tigers in action follows as the SEC Fall Preview is set for Sept. 25-27 at the Country Club of Birmingham. All 14 SEC schools will play three rounds of stroke play followed by one round of seeded matches.
North Carolina is the next location on the docket with Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington hosting The Williams Cup presented by STITCH Oct. 9-10.
Auburn's fourth event of the fall slate will be the inaugural Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational at Fallen Oak Golf Club in Biloxi, Mississippi Oct. 15-17. The Cypress Point Classic will close out the fall as the Tigers will play in the Ryder Cup-style tournament at the prestigious Cypress Point Club in Monterey, California Oct. 30-31.
To kickstart the spring, the Orange & Blue will make an appearance at the Amer Ari Invitational in Waikoloa, Hawai'i for the tenth time in the last 11 seasons. The tournament is set for Feb. 8-10 at Mauna Lani Golf Club.
Up next, Auburn will make the trip to Las Vegas, Nevada for the Southern Highlands Collegiate at Southern Highlands Golf Club Feb. 25-27. It will be the program's third stint at the event. Succeeding Vegas will be none other Pinehurst No. 2 with the distinguished Pinehurst Intercollegiate booked for March 4-5.
The Tigers will defend home territory March 11-12 at the 11th annual Tiger Invitational. For the first time in its history, the tournament will have a new host in the Auburn University Club. At least season's Tiger, Auburn collected its fourth team victory of the year thanks to an outstanding medalist showing from Carson Bacha at 11-under. Alongside Bacha, Brendan Valdes, Reed Lotter, Ryan Eshleman and J.M. Butler were named to the All-Tournament Team.
On March 24-25, the Country Club of Landfall will host the Landfall Tradition in Wilmington, North Carolina. Auburn will make its first appearance in program history at the event.
The Mossy Oak Collegiate will be the Tigers' final competition of the regular season. Mossy Oak Golf Club in West Point, Mississippi will host the tournament April 15-16. At the 2023 Mossy Oak Collegiate, Auburn finished one shot shy of victory at 39 strokes under par. Eshleman carded a 13-under 203 to secure the first individual win of his career.
Postseason play will begin April 24-28 at the SEC Championship. St. Simons Island's Seaside Golf Course will host the league tournament for a 23rd consecutive year.
NCAA Regionals will run May 13-15 as the Tigers will be assigned to one of six possible host sites — UT Golf Club (Austin, Texas), University Club (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), UNC Finley Golf Course (Chapel Hill, North Carolina), The Farms Golf Club (Rancho Santa Fe, California), Stanford Golf Course (Stanford, California) or Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex (West Lafayette, Indiana).
For the first time since 2019, the NCAA Championship will not be played at Grayhawk Golf Club as the Omni La Costa Champions Course in Carlsbad, California is the new home for the sport's most premier event through the 2026 championship. This season's tournament will run from May 24-29.
At the 2023 NCAA Championship, Auburn matched the third-highest finish in its history with a second-consecutive top-10 end to the season. Lotter was the Tigers' low man at 5-over 285.
| DATES | EVENT | COURSE | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 8-10 | Maui Jim Intercollegiate | The Mirabel Club | Cave Creek, AZ |
| Sept. 25-27 | SEC Fall Preview | CC of Birmingham | Birmingham, AL |
| Oct. 9-10 | The Williams Cup | Eagle Point GC | Wilmington, NC |
| Oct. 15-17 | Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational | Fallen Oak GC | Biloxi, MS |
| Oct. 30-31 | Cypress Point Classic | Cypress Point Club | Monterey, CA |
| Feb. 3-4 | Thomas Sharkey Individual | GSU GC | Statesboro, GA |
| Feb. 8-10 | Amer Ari Invitational | Mauna Lani GC | Waikoloa, HI |
| Feb. 19-21 | The Prestige Individual | The GC at Terra Lago | Indio, CA |
| Feb. 25-27 | Southern Highlands Collegiate | Southern Highlands GC | Las Vegas, NV |
| March 4-5 | Pinehurst Intercollegiate | Pinehurst No. 2 | Pinehurst, NC |
| March 11-12 | Tiger Invitational | AU Club | Auburn, AL |
| March 24-25 | Landfall Invitational | CC of Landfall | Wilmington, NC |
| April 15-16 | Mossy Oak Collegiate | Mossy Oak GC | West Point, MS |
| April 24-28 | SEC Championship | Seaside GC | St. Simons Island, GA |
| May 13-15 | NCAA Regionals | TBD | TBD |
| May 24-29 | NCAA Championship | Omni La Costa Champions Course | Carlsbad, CA |