AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn men’s golf returns to action this week as it eyes its third piece of hardware this spring when the No. 1 Tigers compete in the Valspar Collegiate, set for March 23-24 at The Floridian in Palm City, Florida.
“Great golf course this week. The Floridian is fabulous,” Tigers head coach Nick Clinard said. “With the 36-18 format, you’ve got to be prepared mentally, emotionally and physically for a long day on Monday. Some of the best teams in the country will be there. We’ll have to really golf our ball to have a chance to win come the last day.”
In two previous appearances, Auburn finished second and fifth at the Valspar. First, in 2019, the Tigers were led by seniors Trace Crowe (2015-19) and Jacob Solomon (2015-19), both of whom earned top 10 finishes to help the team to a 19-under, runner-up finish. Last season, Auburn was led by none other than Jackson Koivun, who shot 11-under to earn a top-four finish. Josiah Gilbert also competed in the event last spring. He shot 3-under and tied for 25th place.
Both Koivun and Gilbert are back in the lineup this week. They are joined by junior Cayden Pope, sophomore Billy Davis and freshman Jake Albert.
Last time out, Auburn pulled off the double at The Hayt, winning team honors at 28-under while Koivun earned low medalist at 11-under.
Claiming the hardware will be no easy feat as this week’s field includes a whopping 10 top 25 programs. It marks Auburn’s fifth straight event consisting of at least five ranked teams.
Teeing it up at the Floridian this week are No. 6 Texas, who is the defending Valspar champion, No. 7 Arkansas, No. 8 Arizona State, No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 13 Pepperdine, No. 14 Oklahoma, No. 17 North Carolina, No. 23 Duke, No. 24 USC, Augusta, Florida State, Houston, Rice, Texas A&M and Wake Forest.
Versus ranked opposition this season, Clinard’s crew is 37-15-1 (.708).
Monday’s 36 holes of action will begin with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. CT. Auburn will play alongside Arkansas, Florida State and Houston.
Live scoring for the entirety of the 2026 Valspar Collegiate can be found at scoreboard.clippd.com.