SEA ISLAND, Ga. – Auburn men's golf will play for the 2024 SEC Championship after a marathon of a Saturday that included a gutsy 3-2 win over No. 9 Alabama and a dominant 4-1 win over No. 11 Arkansas in the tournament's respective quarterfinal and semifinal matches at Seaside Golf Club.
The Tigers go for the gold Sunday against No. 2 Vanderbilt with the opening tee time slated for 7 a.m. CT. The SEC Network will broadcast the match in its entirety.
"It was a long, hard-fought, emotional day," Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said. "We had a tough match in the morning against Alabama, but we played some great golf and got pushed to our limits, but we didn't break. To turn around so fast in the afternoon and beat a great Arkansas team was a credit to the guys' mentality. They put their foot down and were not going to be denied a spot in the championship."
In the quarterfinal showdown against the Crimson Tide, it was freshman Josiah Gilbert who clinched Auburn's first point with a convincing 4&3 defeat of Jones Free. Gilbert fell behind after the first hole but battled back to tie the match on No. 2. He then took advantage of an Alabama error on the third hole to go one up and never looked back. He went on to force a tie on hole 15 and put the match out of reach.
Auburn's second quarterfinal point came from none other than SEC Individual Champion Jackson Koivun. After trailing by two with four holes to play against the Tide's Canon Claycomb, Koivun switched into a new gear and picked up back-to-back hole wins on 15 and 16 to tie the match. A gutsy par on No. 18 would be enough for the rookie to put the nail in the coffin on the final hole of the match.
Alabama would then pick up back-to-back match wins in extra holes to level the score at two-all.
With the weight of the team resting on his shoulders, senior J.M. Butler delivered with a clutch birdie on the par-3 17th to increase his lead to two over Thomas Ponder with only one hole left, thus clinching the match and punching the Tigers' ticket to the semifinals.
It was a quick regroup as less than two hours later, Auburn's semifinal date with the No. 5-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks commenced.
The Orange & Blue found its first point via Brendan Valdes in the most lopsided match of the tournament so far. The junior from Orlando, Florida pulled ahead with a hole win on No. 3 and proceeded to keep his foot on the gas and pick up points on five of his next 10 holes. He birdied the par-4 13th hole to officially hand the Razorback's Christian Castillo a 6&5 defeat and secure Auburn's first of four points.
"To be able to come back and get a point for our team after losing my morning match meant everything," Valdes said. "I knew (Carson) Bacha and I were going to put up a great fight after how we finished earlier. It's a credit to everyone and to our depth that we're able to win our matches with any of our starting five."
Next, Auburn inched closer to victory thanks to a 3&2 win on the back of redshirt junior Carson Bacha. Bacha found himself down a pair to John Driscoll after 10 holes but turned the match around quickly with five consecutive points on holes 11-15 to grow a three-up lead. A tie between the men on No. 16 would seal the deal and put the Tigers up by two with just one more point needed to secure the win.
It was Koivun's point on No. 16 that finished the job against Thomas Curry. Koivun birdied the first hole to jump out front immediately. He never trailed nor was tied in the match. He won 3&2.
With the match-clinching third team point, the other two active matches were called as they stood. Gilbert earned a 1&1 win over Jacob Skov Olesen. Butler received a loss to Matthis Lefevre as he was one down with five holes to play.
QUARTERFINAL MATCH: (1) Auburn def. (8) Alabama, 3-2
Cave def. Valdes, 20 Holes
Griz def. Bacha, 19 Holes
Gilbert def. Free, 4&3
Koivun def. Claycomb, 1-Up
Butler def. Ponder, 2&1
SEMIFINAL MATCH: (1) Auburn def. (5) Arkansas, 4-1
Bacha def. Driscoll, 3&2
Gilbert def. Skov Olesen, 1&1
Koivun def. Curry, 3&2
Valdes def. Castillo, 6&5
Lefevre def. Butler, 1&5