Koivun leads No. 1 Tigers to runaway win at Mason Rudolph Championship

by Tucker Cleverdon
Koivun leads No. 1 Tigers to runaway win at Mason Rudolph ChampionshipKoivun leads No. 1 Tigers to runaway win at Mason Rudolph Championship

FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Both junior Jackson Koivun and the No. 1-ranked Auburn men’s golf team picked up their fourth wins of the season Sunday in a dominant effort at the Mason Rudolph Championship at Vanderbilt Legends Club. 

Koivun shot 12-under to reign supreme for the fourth time in six starts. He won by two, edging out Ole Miss’ Tom Fischer in a tight final-round duel. As a team, Auburn cruised to victory with a 26-under final tally. Its nearest competitor was the host team, No. 11 Vanderbilt, which finished 17 shots back of the Tigers. 

“Overall great performance from our guys from start to finish,” head coach Nick Clinard said. “We put ourselves in a good position to contend for a win from the first day, and then they just never let off the gas. All six of them just love to compete and love to win, and that’s the standard we’ve set for ourselves here at Auburn.”

With the win, Auburn makes it seven consecutive tournaments finished in the top two and improves to 49-16-1 (.758) against top 25 opponents this season. It also successfully defends its Mason Rudolph title from a year ago. 

All six Auburn players completed the weekend with top 25 finishes. Koivun, freshman Jake Albert and junior Josiah Gilbert all wound up in the top 10. Junior Cayden Pope and freshman Logan Reilly tied for 11th. Sophomore Billy Davis used a strong 3-under 68 on Sunday to rise 21 spots up the leaderboard and finish 25th. 

After opening the weekend with a 67 (-4), Koivun was an immediate threat to earn low medalist. He took over sole possession of the lead following a second-round 68 (-3) and sealed the deal with his best stuff of the tournament on Sunday, when he shot a bogeyless 66 (-5) that featured three birdies over his final five holes.

“Winning is in the DNA of this program,” Koivun said. “Every time we compete, we accept nothing less than that. I’m excited to get another one for myself but even more stoked for the team to be able to add another trophy to the trophy case when we get back home.”

The win is the ninth of Koivun’s collegiate career. He becomes just the 10th player since 2010 to eclipse the benchmark. 

Not to be overlooked, Albert locked up his third top 10 of the spring with a 6-under week in Nashville. He carded rounds of 69 (-2), 71 (E) and 67 (-4). The Blacksburg, Virginia native put the cherry on top of a fabulous outing with an eagle, his fourth of the year, on his final hole of the tournament. 

The trio of Gilbert, Pope and Reilly jockeyed for position throughout the event, but it was ultimately Gilbert who came out on top thanks to a nice 69 (-2) on the final day, which, paired with his first two rounds of 70 (-1) and 71 (E), saw him wrap up at 3-under. Pope and Reilly shot 1-under. 

Pope’s best round came Friday, when he shot 68 (-3) for his ninth sub-70 round of the year. Reilly’s best was also a 68 (-3) that came Saturday. He’s gone sub-70 eight times in his rookie campaign. 

Auburn now turns its eyes to the final event of the regular season, The Ford Collegiate. The season finale is slated for April 13-14 at The Ford Field and River Club in Richmond Hill, Georgia.