FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Auburn men’s golf picked up its fourth tournament win of the season Saturday at the Mason Rudolph Championship. After starting the week eight shots back of the lead, the No. 2 Tigers dug in and went low, firing a round’s best 16-under on Saturday to soar up the leaderboard and win by five strokes.
Auburn’s final round tally of 268 (-16) was the best round of the day by seven. The Tigers finished the Mason Rudolph at 38-under 814. It marks the team’s third win in the last four events.
“Very proud of the way our guys adapted and responded in adverse conditions,” head coach Nick Clinard said. “That type of focus and maturity will be of great benefit to us during the postseason. We’ll need more of that if we want to make a run deep into May.”
While originally slated as a three-day event, the Mason Rudolph was reduced to two days of continuous play due to flooding in the area, however, the Tigers were not deterred as Jackson Koivun, Carson Bacha and Brendan Valdes all pieced together masterful performances to finish second, third and tied for fourth, respectively.
Koivun finished at 13-under, going 67-66-67. Bacha ended one stroke back at 12-under, firing rounds of 68, 67 and 66. Valdes finished one back of Bacha, going 70-66-66 for an 11-under.
Valdes birdied 16 times in Tennessee, but it was his first that was the most special as he became just the fifth player in program history to join the 500 birdies club. With his 515, he now ranks fourth in Auburn history behind J.M. Butler (530), Matt Gilchrest (533) and Jovan Rebula (543).
Individual player Cayden Pope finished just inside the top 20 with a 4-under showing. He shot 73-67-69. Fellow individual Billy Davis as well as sophomore Josiah Gilbert both ended the tournament at 1-under-par. Davis went 70-74-68. Gilbert went 71-71-70.
Senior Ryan Eshleman finished at even par with rounds back-to-back rounds of 72 followed by a final-round 69.
Next, Auburn closes the regular season in Savannah, Georgia at The Invitational at The Ford set for April 14-15 at The Ford Field & River Club.