ST. SIIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Auburn men’s golf clinched its fourth SEC Championship semifinal appearance with a commanding 4-1 win over No. 3 Texas Saturday morning, but a hard-fought battle with No. 8 Florida went the Gators’ way, 3-1-1, to deny the Tigers a chance at back-to-back final appearances at Seaside Golf Club.
“We got beat because we didn’t play well,” head coach Nick Clinard said. “We played slow coming out of the gates. We had a poor putting day. The guys are obviously disappointed, but we shot 38-under in stroke play and won by nine. I think that shows that we’re the best team in the country. We went out this morning and beat an incredible Texas team, but Florida got the best of us, and we tip our cap to them. We’ve got nothing to hang our heads about.”
SEC Individual Champion Jackson Koivun tossed up the Tigers’ first point in the quarterfinal showdown with a 4&3 defeat of Luke Potter. Koivun birdied the fourth hole of his match and never looked back. He forced a par tie on 15 to seal it.
Sophomore Cayden Pope clinched Auburn’s second point with a 4&2 win over Tommy Morrison in his first-ever postseason match. The Lexington, Kentucky native took advantage of a bogey from his opponent on 3 to take a permanent lead. A birdie from Pope on the 16th put the match away.
In a tight match with Texas’ Christiaan Maas, sophomore Josiah Gilbert jumped out front with a birdie on the seventh hole and maintained at least a one-up lead for the remainder of the match. A tie on 18 punched Auburn’s ticket to the semifinals.
Senior Brendan Valdes was awarded a win over Jack Gilbert as he held a one-up lead through 17 holes when the match point was clinched.
A commanding 5&3 win from Valdes over Matthew Kress was all the Tigers could muster in the afternoon match with Florida. Gilbert halved his match with Ian Gilligan, but the Gators snagged the remaining three points.
Up next, Auburn learns its field for the NCAA Auburn Regional during the NCAA Selection Show set for April 30 at 1 p.m. CT on Golf Channel.
#2 Auburn def. #3 Texas, 4-1
Daniel Bennett def. Carson Bacha, 5&4
Jackson Koivun def. Luke Potter, 4&3
Cayden Pope def. Tommy Morrison, 4&2
Josiah Gilbert def. Christiaan Maas, 1-Up
Brendan Valdes def. Jack Gilbert, 1-Up
#8 Florida def. #2 Auburn, 3-1-1
Luke Poulter def. Carson Bacha, 3&2
Brendan Valdes def. Matthew Kress, 5&3
Zack Swanwick def. Cayden Pope, 6&4
Jack Turner def. Jackson Koivun, 2&1
Josiah Gilbert tied Ian Gilligan