WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — No. 1 Auburn's men's sits in fifth at 16-under 272 following Thursday's opening round of competition at the Amer Ari Invitational at Mauna Lani Golf Club.
The Tigers sit five shots back of third and 10 shots back of first. No. 2 North Carolina leads the field at 26-under.
Auburn's low man of the day was freshman Jackson Koivun, who carded a 67 (-5). Fifth year Alex Vogelsong and sophomore Reed Lotter each shot 68 (-4). Junior Brendan Valdes finished a shot higher with a 69 (-3), and redshirt-junior Carson Bacha earned a 72 (E). Freshman Cayden Pope fired a 70 (-2), however, his score does not count toward the team's tally as Pope is the predetermined individual player.
For the second round of Amer Ari, the Tigers will be paired with Arizona State, Oregon and Hawaii-Hilo. The day's action will begin with a shotgun start at 11:30 a.m. CT. Auburn's lineup begins on holes 11 and 12. Pope will begin on 17.
