ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Auburn men’s golf defeated 8-seed South Carolina 3-1-1 in a thrilling quarterfinal Saturday morning at Sea Island Golf Club but could not overpower 4-seed Ole Miss in the afternoon semifinal, ultimately falling one point short of the final match at the 2026 SEC Championship.
“I’m proud of our guys; I thought they played pretty good golf, Ole Miss just played better, especially when it came to the short game,” Tigers head coach Nick Clinard said. “We’re proud of what we accomplished this week, particularly in stroke play, but there is more golf left to be played this season. We’ve still got a shot at a national championship, and that’s our goal.”
No. 1 (1) AUBURN def. (8) SOUTH CAROLINA, 3-1-1
Cayden Pope def. Brock Blais, 4&3
Junior Cayden Pope jumped out front early in the opening match with a birdie on the first hole. He also birdied 3, 4, 7 and 10 to extend his lead to as many as five. Pope and his opponent, Brock Blais, ultimately split the 15th hole with birdies to seal a 4&3 win for Auburn’s leadoff man. Pope led all 15 holes of the match.
Josiah Gilbert def. Talan Harrison, 3&2
Like Pope, fellow junior Josiah Gilbert won the first hole of his match and never relinquished control to lead for the entirety of the duel. Gilbert also led by as many as five after a birdie on the 13th, but two late birdies from South Carolina’s Talan Harrison cut into his lead. Both men split the 16th with pars to make Gilbert’s 3&2 victory official.
Logan Reilly def. Marek Fleming, 19 holes
Freshman Logan Reilly was locked in a tight battle with the Gamecock’s Marek Fleming as the men traded leads with neither ever leading by more than two. Reilly birdied 9 to go one up, a lead he would hold until 18, but Fleming delivered a clutch chip-in birdie to level the match and send it to extra holes. Reilly birdied the first playoff hole to send the Tigers onto the semifinals for the third consecutive season.
Jackson Koivun tied Zach Adams
Auburn’s Jackson Koivun shot a clean 64 (-6) but was matched by the fiery Zach Adams. The duo was headed to the first playoff hole when the match was decided in the Tigers’ favor.
Frankie Harris def. Jake Albert, 4&3
No. 11 (4) OLE MISS def. (1) AUBURN, 3-2
Tom Fischer def. Cayden Pope, 3&1
Logan Reilly def. Daniel Tolf, 2&1
Reilly trailed through six holes but birdied the seventh to cut back to even. The match remained level for three holes before Daniel Tolf gifted Reilly his first lead of the afternoon with a bogey on 11. Reilly then birdied 13 to grow his lead to two. He held that until the men halved 17 with pars to seal Reilly’s 2&1 win.
Collins Trolio def. Jackson Koivun, 2&1
Cameron Tankersley def. Josiah Gilbert, 1-Up
Jake Albert def. Cohen Trolio, 3&2
Albert rebounded from his morning loss with a convincing win against the senior from Ole Miss, Cohen Trolio. In a match that spanned 16 holes, Albert led for 15. The men halved the first hole with pars, but a birdie from Albert on the second was the first dose of fuel on the fire. They split the 16th with pars to seal Albert’s win.