LAS VEGAS – No. 2 Auburn men's golf is leaving the Southern Highlands Collegiate with silver following a masterful 11-under showing Tuesday at Southern Highlands Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nevada.
After beginning the tournament in 10th, the Tigers pieced together back-to-back quality outings to roar eight spots up the leaderboard and end the week in second with a grand total of 859 (-5). No. 15 Oklahoma edged the Tigers by three strokes, winning the event at 856 (-8).
Florida's Ian Gilligan earned medalist honors at 208 (-8).
"Proud of the guys for battling this week on a tough golf course," Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said. "It was a challenge every step of the way with the firmness, speed, hole locations and strong wind. The team buckled down and encouraged each other to keep competing as hard as they could. It's weeks like these where our culture pays off. Having a group dedicated to playing for the brand and for each other is what makes us special."
With the finish, Auburn improves to 78-4 (.951) overall and 24-4 (.857) against top-25 opponents.
Individually, Auburn's two-headed dragon led the way as freshman Jackson Koivun and junior Brendan Valdes each earned top-five finishes. Valdes shot 210 (-6) and Koivun finished one back of his teammate at 211 (-5).
It is the 15th top-10 finish in Valdes' career. He becomes one of just six players in program history to accomplish the milestone. He is the first ever to reach it as a junior.
"I had a very fun week," Valdes said. "Early on, I had some rocky putting that was holding me down, but I was able to bring it back by the end. I'm happy that I was able to throw up a good finish for my team."
Redshirt-junior Carson Bacha continued his streak of effortlessly consistent scoring as he was Auburn's No. 3 man thanks to an even-par 216 week on the course. Bacha placed tied for 15th, the 13th top 20 of his collegiate career.
Both senior J.M. Butler and sophomore Reed Lotter finished tied for 64th with a pair of 229s (+13).
Auburn began the tournament with a slow start in Sunday's opening round, but Koivun and Bacha still managed to turn in a pair of notable performances. Koivun led the lineup with a 70 (-2), his fifth consecutive subpar outing. The Chapel Hill, North Carolina native made an early bogey on 2 but found some consistency with 10 straight pars, an eagle on 13, and finally, a birdie on 16.
Bacha bookended his round with bogeys on 1 and 18, however, he made three birdies in a row on 3-5 and made par everywhere else.
Also in round one, Valdes shot 72 (E) and Lotter shot 74 (+2). Butler was the drop score with a 76 (+4).
In Monday's second round, Auburn was once again led by a 70 (-2) from Koivun. The rookie used four birdies on 1, 11, 12 and 13 to wipe out a couple of bogeys on 9 and 17. Valdes also went under par with a 71 (-1) thanks to four birdies of his own on 3, 13, 15 and 16.
Bacha delivered a 76 (+4), Lotter shot 78 (+6) and Butler was once again the drop score with an 83 (+11).
Auburn's big finish was aided by a full-team effort in Tuesday's finale. Four of five players went subpar to ignite the surge up the leaderboard. Valdes carried the torch in the third round, saving his best stuff for last. The Orlando, Florida product delivered his 35th career round in the 60s with a powerful 67 (-5). He made just two mistakes with bogeys on 2 and 17 and more than made up for them with birdies on 1, 3, 4, 9 and 13. Valdes also recorded the 15th eagle of his tenure on 5. He now stands tied with Jacob Solomon (2015-19) for second all-time in program history.
The Tigers' No. 2 man on Tuesday was Bacha. The York, Pennsylvania native ran into a few obstacles early on the front and back half but quickly found his footing and punched back. He birdied 2, 9, 11, 12 and 17 to earn a 69 (-3) for the day.
Rounding out the lineup, Butler returned to true form with a 70 (-2) while Koivun shot 71 (-1). Lotter shot 77 (+5) and was the drop score.
Statistically, Valdes led the Orange & Blue with 13 birdies made during the week. Bacha finished with 11, Koivun added 10 and both Lotter and Butler made eight. Valdes and Koivun each added an eagle as well.
It's a quick turnaround for the Tigers as the team is set to compete at the Pinehurst Intercollegiate at historic Pinehurst No. 2 March 4-5. Auburn will travel five team players and one individual to the event.
No. 2 men’s golf nearly completes comeback, takes second at Southern Highlands
