AUBURN, Ala – Fresh off a dominant showing that resulted in its fourth consecutive win, No. 1 Auburn men's golf looks to keep the hot hands rolling with a strong showing this week, April 24-28, at the 2024 SEC Men's Golf Championship hosted by Seaside Golf Club on St. Simons Island, Georgia.
"This is the postseason, it's what we've been preparing for all season long," Tigers head coach Nick Clinard said. "If we can stay committed to every shot and play with a sense of confidence and freedom, it'll be an exciting week."
Auburn takes the top seed and will begin round one paired with No. 2 seed Vanderbilt and No. 3 seed Ole Miss. The group will tee off at 7 a.m. CT from the first hole. Teams will be reseeded for rounds two and three of stroke play.
All 14 squads will battle it out in three rounds of stroke play Wednesday – Friday. After the completion of the third round, the top eight teams will advance to the match play stage. Saturday will host the quarterfinal and semifinal matches before the final two teams duke it out for the title on Sunday.
Each of the seven matches of the SEC Championship will be broadcast via the SEC Network or SEC Network+. The quarterfinal and semifinal matches will appear on SEC Network+ from 3:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. CT. Sunday's championship match will air live on the SEC Network from 7 a.m. – 12 p.m. CT.
Heading into the week, Auburn tops the field as the No. 1 team in the country in the latest Scoreboard rankings. Vanderbilt follows closely at No. 2. Rounding out the top 10 are No. 5 Ole Miss, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 9 Alabama, No. 11 Arkansas, No. 15 Florida, No. 22 Texas A&M and No. 23 Georgia.
The Tigers will rely on a mix of veteran experience and newcomer energy in the search for their fifth conference crown. Auburn's No. 1 player will be none other than freshman phenom Jackson Koivun. The electric junior Brendan Valdes will be the No. 2 followed by the calm, cool and collected redshirt junior Carson Bacha at No. 3. The senior workhorse J.M. Butler takes fourth on the lineup card, and finally, Josiah Gilbert, a skilled freshman on a hot streak, will be the No. 5.
Making the trip as the sixth man will be fifth year leader Alex Vogelsong. Vogelsong will not make an appearance during round one, however, postseason rules allow for the substitution of the sixth player into the lineup for another player following the completion of any round.
This season, the sixsome has combined for four individual wins, 19 top-five finishes, 33 top-10 finishes and a whopping 91 rounds below par. Koivun checks in as the highest-ranked player at No. 5 in the nation. Valdes (9) and Butler (16) are also ranked inside the top 20.
Entering the week, Auburn has captured four previous SEC titles, in 1976, 1981, 2002 and most recently, 2018. Five players have earned SEC Individual Medalist — Jimmy Green (1991), Bryant MacKellar (1997), Roland Thatcher (2000), Patton Kizzire (2007) and Jovan Rebula (2019).
At the 2023 SEC Championship, the Orange & Blue shot 845 (+5) and finished 11th overall, missing out on match play by four strokes.
This season, the Tigers boast a jaw-dropping 25-0 head-to-head record against SEC opponents. Auburn has beaten all 13 conference foes at least once.
Scoring for the 2024 SEC Men's Golf Championship is available via Golfstat.com. In-person attendance at the event is free. Spectators are encouraged.