BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – It came down to the wire with a pair of extra-hole matches, but No. 4 Auburn men's golf thrived under the pressure and captured its second consecutive tournament title with a 3-2 defeat of No. 7 Vanderbilt Wednesday at the SEC Fall Preview hosted by the Country Club of Birmingham.
The Tigers found their wins via senior Ryan Eshleman, freshman Jackson Koivun and senior J.M. Butler.
"I'm extremely proud of the guys," Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said. "It's a huge win for us. It was a total team effort. All five guys worked really hard all week long. We challenged them to compete hard on every shot, and they did that. We're blessed and lucky to come out on top against a phenomenal Vanderbilt team."
Playing on his home course, Eshleman ignited Auburn's march to victory by throwing up the first point after defeating Jackson van Paris 2&1. The Birmingham, Alabama product took a 2-up lead following a win on 14 and parred out on 15, 16 and 17 to eliminate any chance of a comeback from van Paris.
"This has been a really special week," Eshleman said. "To cap it all off with a win makes it even more special. I knew that going out first was important. I knew if I could start us off with a win, that would mean a lot."
Auburn clinched its second point from Koivun. The rookie from Chapel Hill, North Carolina took the Commodores' Gordon Sargent, the No. 1 amateur golfer in the world, to extra holes, and sunk a 20-foot putt on the 19th to finally put the nail in the coffin.
"Gordon (Sargent) is a really good player," Koivun said. "It was a really close match the entire day. I had hit that (winning) putt in the practice round a few times, but it was a little straighter. I just put a good roll on it, and it worked out for me."
Butler found himself in another extra-hole thriller but was able the match away on No. 20 after hitting it three feet from the pin to force a pair of missed putts from William Moll. Butler's point provided Auburn with the third and final it needed to clinch the match.
"This team played their butts off all week," Butler said. "All of the credit goes to these guys and their hard work. I'm so thankful for our coaches and the time they put into helping us be elite. We're building something special at Auburn."
Up next, the Tigers head to Wilmington, North Carolina for the Williams Cup hosted by Eagle Point Golf on Oct. 9-10.
Auburn Results
Ryan Eshlemandef. Jackson van Paris, 2&1
Matthew Riedel def. Reed Lotter, 3&2
Jackson Koivundef. Gordon Sargent, 19 holes
Cole Sherwood def.Brendan Valdes, 1-UP
J.M. Butlerdef. William Moll, 20 holes