AUBURN, Ala. – Back in action for the third time this spring, No. 2 Auburn men’s golf is set to defend its title at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, March 1-3 at Southern Highlands Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Another elite test for our guys this week,” Tigers head coach Nick Clinard said. “We love playing Southern Highlands because of the stiff competition each year, but also for the similarities it offers to LaCosta, which will be upon us sooner rather than later. It’s a great gut check for the NCAA Championship and what we need to work on before that time comes.”
The reigning Southern Highlands victor, Auburn, plays Sunday’s opening round alongside No. 4 Texas and No. 8 Pepperdine with tee times commencing at 11:50 a.m. CT.
Other programs in the field include No. 1 Virginia, No. 3 Florida, No. 12 Illinois, No. 14 Oklahoma, No. 19 New Mexico, No. 25 San Diego State, RV Texas A&M, Georgia, South Carolina, UCLA, UNLV and Washington.
With nine top 25 teams in the running, Southern Highlands is officially Auburn’s second-toughest field of the year, behind the Ben Hogan, which featured 13 ranked teams. Clinard’s group is 23-14-1 (.618) versus top 25 opposition this season.
The starting five for the Tigers is as follows: Jackson Koivun, Jake Albert, Cayden Pope, Josiah Gilbert and Logan Reilly.
To start the spring, Auburn’s locked down a first-place finish at the Amer Ari Invitational in Hawai’i and a runner-up finish at the Gator Invitational in Florida. Koivun has gone two-for-two with a pair of low medalist performances in those tournaments.
This week marks the Tigers’ third straight appearance at Southern Highlands and sixth overall. In 2024, Auburn finished second at 5-under-par, three shots back of Oklahoma. Last season, an Auburn lineup that did not feature Koivun shot 9-under-par to win by 10.
Gilbert is the lone returner from last year’s victorious group. He shot 213 (-3) and finished fourth individually. Koivun played the course in the previous edition. He went 211 (-5) to tie for fourth.
Live scoring for the entirety of the 2026 Southern Highlands Collegiate can be found scoreboard.clippd.com.