AUBURN, Ala. – The top-ranked Auburn men's golf team continues its spring slate competing in the Pinehurst Intercollegiate at historic Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst, North Carolina March 4-5.
"This is another opportunity for our guys to prove why they deserve to be in our starting five," Tigers head coach Nick Clinard said. "They're going to be tested against some stiff competition on a fantastic, challenging course. The ball strikers and the guys that can control their distances and manage their ball in the air are going to be the ones who play the best."
Vying for top honors alongside the No. 1 Tigers will be host Wake Forest, No. 15 ETSU, No. 23 Duke, Clemson, College of Charleston, Iowa, NC State, Northwestern, SMU and UNCG.
Representing the Orange & Blue will be redshirt-juniors Ryan Eshleman and Carson Bacha, junior Brendan Valdes, sophomore Reed Lotter and freshmen Jackson Koivun and Cayden Pope. Lotter will be the Tigers' designated individual player for the tournament.
On the docket for Monday are 36 holes of action set to begin in a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. CT. Auburn will go off hole 1 and play with SMU and Wake Forest. Lotter will go off 17 with individuals from Clemson and NC State.
In Auburn's last showing at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, the Tigers demonstrated true determination and grit as they fought their way to a second-place finish after beginning the tournament in 10th. Valdes and Koivun both finished inside the top five at third and fourth, respectively.
Following Southern Highlands, Auburn improved to 78-4 on the year and 24-4 against ranked opponents. Koivun was also awarded as the SEC Freshman of the Week.
Live scoring for the entirety of the Pinehurst Intercollegiate will be provided via Golfstat.