CAVE CREEK, Ariz. – No. 6 Auburn men's golf holds the team lead at 41 strokes below par through two rounds of the Mirabel Maui Jim Intercollegiate hosted by the Mirabel Club. Freshman Jackson Koivun is the Tigers' leading player at 11-under.
Auburn has a two-shot advantage over San Diego State heading into Sunday's finale.
"Another day of solid golf," Tigers head coach Nick Clinard said. "Scores look great, but it's still a tight race. We've got to remain focused if we want to finish the job and walk out on top tomorrow."
On Saturday, Auburn shot 267 (-17) as a squad. Koivun and senior J.M. Butler each delivered 66s, senior Carson Bacha signed for a 67, junior Brendan Valdes fired a 68 and senior Ryan Eshleman shot 70.
All five men are poised inside the top 15 with Koivun leading the charge in seventh, just four shots out of first place.
"The team is playing really solid, and we know we are in a good spot going into tomorrow," Koivun said. "I'm happy to contribute in whatever way I can. We've just got to keep our feet on the gas until the final putt falls."
Koivun made one mistake on the day with a bogey on 6, but the rookie easily erased it with birdies on holes 7, 10, 12 and 17 as well as the first eagle of his collegiate career on 2.
Over at Legend Trail Golf Club, in the Maui Jim Individual, the Tiger contingent wrapped up with a pair of top-10 outings from sophomore Reed Lotter and senior Alex Vogelsong. Lotter shot 64-68 on Saturday to place tied for second at 12-under and Vogelsong pieced together a 70-64 to shoot 10-under and finish tied for sixth place. Both men charted new career lows for 18 and 54 holes.
"Today was really nice to get back into the saddle of competing," Lotter said. "I started the day with a nice two-putt birdie on my first hole, and then it was off to the races. I got really hot on the second nine of round two, making two back-to-back eagles to start round three. It was really nice to be in contention again. I wish I could have a few swings back, but I'm getting closer to winning one of these."
Freshmen Cayden Pope and Josiah Gilbert concluded their collegiate debuts finishing tied for 16th and 19th, respectively. Pope tallied a 4-under 212 and Gilbert shot 3-under 213.
For the championship round of the Mirabel Maui Jim Intercollegiate, Auburn will play alongside San Diego State and Fresno State. Bacha will bat leadoff, teeing off from 1 at 9 a.m. CT.
Auburn Players
T7. Jackson Koivun 65-66 (-11)
T11. Ryan Eshleman 63-70 (-9)
T11. Brendan Valdes 65-68 (-9)
T11. J.M. Butler 67-66 (-9)
T14. Carson Bacha 67-67 (-8)
Maui Jim Team Leaderboard
1.#6 Auburn (-41)
2. San Diego State (-39)
3. Fresno State (-32)
4. SMU (-31)
5. Ohio State (-26)
6. #22 Oregon (-21)
7. UNLV (-19)
8. New Mexico (-18)
9. Georgia State (-16)
10. Colorado (-15)
11. Little Rock (-14)
12. Missouri (-11)
13. Santa Clara (-4)
14. Mercer (-3)
15. Texas State (-2)
Maui Jim Individual
T2. Reed Lotter 72-64-68 (-12)
T6. Alex Vogelsong 72-70-64(-10)
T16. Cayden Pope 73-67-72(-4)
T19. Josiah Gilbert 69-68-76 (-3)
