ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. –In a stunning display of dominance not seen in six decades, Jackson Koivun won his third straight SEC Championship, leading No. 1 Auburn to its third consecutive stroke play title in record fashion Friday at Sea Island Golf Club.
“It feels great any time you can come out here and win an SEC championship, it’s a huge honor,” Koivun said. “To be able to do it three times in a row, it’s good to put my name down in the history books.”
The junior from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, shot a 7-under 63 to finish the three-round event at 19-under-par, cruising to a seven-shot victory over Oklahoma’s Jase Summy, joining LSU’s B.R. McLendon (1965-67) as the SEC’s only three-peat medalists.
After shooting back-to-back 64s to take a two-stroke lead into Friday’s final round, Koivun saved his best for last, pulling away from all challengers by birdieing three of the first eight holes.
After a bogey on No. 9, Koivun blistered the back nine, birdieing 10, 12, 14, 15 and 16 to finish with eight birdies against one bogey. Over 54 holes, Koivun birdied all but two at Sea Island, parring Nos. 13 and 17 all three rounds.
Continuing one of the finest seasons in NCAA history, Koivun won for the sixth time in eight starts in 2026.
Koivun’s three-round total of 191 is an SEC Championship record for 54 holes, breaking Alabama’s Bobby Wyatt’s tally of 192 in 2014.
In the team competition, the Tigers took a five-shot lead into the final round, winning by six over runner-up No. 4 Florida to secure Auburn’s third straight SEC stroke play championship and the top seed in Saturday’s match play quarterfinals.
“A good day for Auburn golf,” Auburn coach Nick Clinard. “The guys played great. JK played fabulous on the back side. Nothing surprises me with this kid. He’s really special. This means a lot to him. He was very motivated coming in here to win three in a row.”
Auburn broke its own SEC Championship record by finishing 39-under-par, one shot better than last year.
For all of Koivun’s gifts and drive, he was by no means a one-Tiger team. Freshman Jake Albert delivered his best round of the week, firing a 3-under-par 67. Juniors Cayden Pope and Josiah Gilbert, and freshman Logan Reilly, all bested par, shooting 1-under 69s to help the Tigers sign for a 12-under Friday after going 11-under and 16-under in the first two rounds.
“What an incredible day, all five guys under par,” Clinard said. “I’m super proud of the freshmen too. Cayden Pope and Josiah hanging in there. They played some really good golf in some very windy conditions on the last nine holes.”
Gilbert (-8) finished tied for seventh and Pope (-6) tied for 13th to give Auburn three in the top 15. The freshman duo of Reilly (-4) and Albert (+1) finished 24th and 45th, respectively.
The Gators briefly evened Auburn on the back nine before a pair of Florida double bogeys on 14 and a strong finish by the Tigers distanced the competitors.
The SEC’s top eight teams advanced to match play, with the quarterfinals and semifinals set for Saturday and the championship match slated for Sunday.
In the quarterfinals, the top-seeded Tigers will face No. 39 South Carolina, which defeated No. 5 Arkansas and No. 25 Georgia in a playoff Friday afternoon after finishing tied for eighth at 12-under.
“Enjoy this,” Clinard said of his post-round message. “It’s the third year in a row we’ve won stroke play in the best conference in the country. I’m really happy for the freshmen to be a part of that. We’ve got to reset tonight. I told them they’d better get ready to play because tomorrow morning it doesn’t matter where we finished in stroke play. Everybody’s wanting to beat Auburn right now.”
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer