AUBURN, Ala. – No. 4 Auburn men's golf looks to defend its home state this week at the SEC Fall Preview hosted by the Country Club of Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama. The tournament will run Sept. 25-27 with three rounds of stroke play stretched between Monday and Tuesday and one final round of seeded matches on Wednesday.
"Any time you get to play against other teams in our conference, it's special," Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said. "The SEC is the most grueling and competitive league in the country. We're looking forward to an early glimpse into what our postseason may hold. No one on this team backs down from any challenge, so it should be an exciting couple of days on the course."
Alongside the Tigers, eight other SEC programs are ranked inside Golfweek/Sagarin's top 25. Following Auburn are No. 5 Tennessee, No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 7 Vanderbilt, No. 9 Alabama, No. 14 Mississippi State, No. 19 LSU, No. 21 Florida and No. 25 Arkansas. South Carolina is also receiving votes.
Auburn coasts into Birmingham riding high from a dominant win to open its season at the Mirabel Maui Jim Intercollegiate in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Tigers shot a program-record 56-under-par to edge out the nearest team by 11 strokes. Four of the five men from the Maui Jim win return to the lineup this week. Representing Auburn will be J.M. Butler, Jackson Koivun, Reed Lotter, Brendan Valdes and Ryan Eshleman.
It is homecoming week for Eshleman as the Country Club of Birmingham is the senior's home course.
"I'm extremely excited to play this week," Eshleman said. "The Country Club of Birmingham has given more than I can ever imagine to my family and I. I've had incredible moments with my dad and that I will cherish forever on the driving range and on the golf course. The courses are top-notch, championship courses, the membership is incredible and the junior program is the best in the nation. This week will be a great test, especially on the greens. I look forward to getting after it."
Last time out, Koivun led the charge with a tied for second place finish after matching the school record for 54-hole score (-17) in his collegiate debut. Koivun's performance was awarded with a nod as SEC Golfer of the Week. Butler and Valdes finished seventh and tied for eighth, respectively. Butler carded a 13-under 200 and Valdes shot 12-under 201. Eshleman also finished inside the top 20 after stringing together a 63-70-70 week for 203 (-10).
While Lotter did not play in the team event in Arizona, he did make the trip and play in the Maui Jim Individual at Legend Trail GC. The sophomore nearly captured his first tournament win with a 72-64-68 (-12) scorecard. Lotter trailed the individual winner by three.
At least year's SEC Fall Preview hosted by Old Overton, Auburn finished third in stroke play after shooting 33-under 807. In their match, the Tigers were edged 3-2 by Texas A&M. Butler and Evan Vo provided Auburn's pair of victories.
Tee times and pairings for the tournament will be released at a late time. Live scoring can be located at GolfGenius.com. Attendance at the SEC Fall Preview is free and encouraged.
