WAIKOLOA, Hawaii. – Behind the best individual performance in Auburn history from junior Jackson Koivun, No. 5 Auburn men’s golf matched the NCAA scoring record in a 77-under-par victory at the Amer Ari Invitational hosted by Mauna Lani Golf Club.
Koivun won his sixth career tournament with rounds of 62, 62 and 67 for a 25-under week on the Big Island. He made just one bogey, and more than made up for it with 24 birdies, one eagle and 28 pars.
“It feels great to start the spring with a win individually and as a team," Koivun said. "We’ve all got some really big goals this season, so this is a great starting point to jump off from.”
The Chapel Hill, North Carolina native obliterated Auburn’s 54-hole scoring record by seven strokes. With his back-to-back 62s (-10) on Thursday and Friday, he also broke the NCAA 36-hole record of 18 shots under par, previously set by Tiger Woods at the 1996 Pac-10 Championship.
“Really, really proud of our guys this week,” head coach Nick Clinard said. “They started strong and kept their feet on the gas all week long. This is a tremendous tournament with tremendous competitors every year, and it’s one that has eluded us up until this point. This will be a great confidence boost and jumping off point to hopefully set us up for more record-breaking throughout the spring.”
Auburn’s Amer Ari victory marks the program’s first win at the event in 12 attempts. It’s the team’s second of the season and the 61st under Clinard’s leadership. No. 6 Texas finished as the runner-up, 13 strokes behind the Tigers.
Not to go unnoticed, junior Cayden Pope finished second behind teammate Koivun. He opened the tournament with a 65 and a 68 and followed it with a massive 63 on Saturday to secure silver. At 20-under, Pope set a new personal best by 10 shots.
“My game felt good all week leading up to the event,” Pope said. “I had a good week of prep, and it showed. I was able to take advantage of how I hit the ball off the tee and gave myself a lot of chances. It was a great start for the team as well, which will give us a lot of confidence for the remainder of the season.”
Sophomore Billy Davis and freshman Jake Albert both locked in at 13-under. They tied for 21st place. Davis shot 67-73-63 while Albert went 64-70-69. Junior Josiah Gilbert finished one shot back of the duo. He pieced together rounds of 65, 74 and 65.
Adding on to the tight Tiger placements was freshman individual player Logan Reilly. Reilly PR’d at 11-under, highlighted by a Saturday 66.
The Tigers jump back into action in one week. They are set to compete in the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Florida on Feb. 14-15.