SEA ISLAND, Ga. – Auburn men’s golf shot an opening-round 11-under on Wednesday at the 2026 SEC Championship, placing the Tigers in a three-way tie for third, just four shots back of the lead heading into round two at Sea Island Golf Club.
“Obviously, we played some good golf,” head coach Nick Clinard said. “Proud of the way the guys finished. A lot of them finished strong, but we need some more help throughout the lineup. Jackson (Koivun) played great, but we’ve got some super talented players that should be pushing him more.”
No. 12 Ole Miss sits atop the leaderboard at 15-under-par, but it’s a tight race as just seven shots separate the top eight teams. Following Friday's third round of stroke play, the top eight will advance to match play, and the bottom eight will be sent home.
The reigning SEC Individual Champion, Jackson Koivun, picked up where he left off with a top-tier day to open his title defense. Thanks to a 30 (-5) on the front nine, the junior shot 6-under 64. He began the round with six birdies and four pars before bogeying 11. He then parred his way to the 18th before closing the afternoon with another nice birdie.
Koivun stands in an eight-man tie for second place. Oklahoma’s Ryder Cowan leads by two at 8-under.
Also going subpar for the Tigers were freshman Logan Reilly and junior Josiah Gilbert. In his SEC Championship debut, Reilly made just one bogey and more than made up for it with birdies on the first, seventh, 11th and 17th holes for a 3-under 67.
Gilbert got off to a sluggish start at 2-over through 11 but flipped the switch on 12, where he birdied for the 400th time in his collegiate career. He then closed out with three consecutive birdies on 15-17. Gilbert shot 2-under 68.
Both junior Cayden Pope and freshman Jake Albert turned in respectable even-par 70s. Pope’s highlight was an eagle on the par-5 15th. Albert showed resilience after bogeying six and doubling seven by going 3-under over his final 11 holes with eight pars and birdies on 8, 15 and 17.
For Thursday’s middle round, Auburn is set to play in a foursome with Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Florida.