WILMINGTON, N.C. – Senior Josiah Gilbert captured his first individual victory of the season and helped the No. 1 Auburn men’s golf team finish second Tuesday at the Williams Cup presented by STITCH. The Tigers put together a 2-under 862 as a team on the par 72, 7,353-yard Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, North Carolina.
“The team played very well today and put together the low round of the day,” head coach Nick Clinard said. “We had a slow start the first day and battled wind and cold weather. We struggled on par 5s and in the short game. But overall, we gutted it out and showed grit on the final two days to get a decent finish.”
Gilbert won the individual title with an 8-under 208, beating Florida’s Jack Turner by a stroke. The pair were in the final group on No. 18 with Gilbert ahead by one. Needing to birdie following Turner’s birdie, Gilbert sunk his putt on the par 5 18th to take the fourth individual win of his career.
“I knew I had to make a birdie on a scorable par 5,” Gilbert said. “I just played a very simple hole and had some great help from Coach (Chris) Williams, leaving the ball in a great spot to make birdie.”
Gilbert, a Millbrook, Alabama native, was in the red in all three rounds, opening up with a 1-under 71 on day one and following with a 3-under 69 Monday in the second round. He had his best day on the final day, carding a 4-under 68 to set a season low. He led the team with 12 birdies and even had an eagle on No. 6 Tuesday morning.
“I just stayed super patient this week,” Gilbert said. “It was a grind with a lot of wind and some tough conditions so I knew that just minimizing my mistakes would make a difference by the end of the week.”
“I’m super proud of Josiah,” Clinard said. “I was happy for him to have a really great tournament and his family was here and able to see him play. He played beautiful golf. He took good shots, was in control of his mind and it really showed in the way he walked and carried himself the whole tournament.”
No. 9 Florida won the tournament with a 19-under 845, while UNLV came in third (+6).
Freshman Alex Holder was competing as an individual and finished tied for seventh overall, notching a 2-under 214 (73-69-72). The Fort Wayne, Indiana product made moves on day two of the tournament, having four birdies in the second round to shoot a 3-under 69.
Junior Billy Davis and sophomore Logan Reilly came in tied for 17th overall as each finished with a 2-over 218. Davis, of Spring Valley, California, had his best day on Tuesday, coming in with a 1-under 71. He parred or birdied 47 of 54 holes, having four birdies in the third round.
Reilly finished 73-70-75, having his lowest round on Monday. The Lovettsville, Virginia product had 10 birdies over three days, including six in the second round.
After a slow first two rounds, sophomore Jake Albert made big moves on Tuesday, finishing with a 3-under 69. The Blacksburg, Virginia native came in a tie for 28th, carding a 4-over 220 (77-74-69). Highlighting his tournament was an eagle on No. 4 in the third round.
Senior Cayden Pope came in tied for 57th with a 9-over 225 (78-74-73), having his best day on Tuesday.
The top-ranked Tigers will travel up I-85 to compete in the prestigious East Lake Cup, Oct. 26-28, at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Auburn will face off with No. 3 Oklahoma State, UCLA and Arizona in stroke play on Monday with match play beginning Tuesday.
WILLIAMS CUP RESULTS
TEAM RESULTS
1. Florida – 845 (-19)
2. AUBURN – 862 (-2)
3. UNLV – 870 (+6)
4. Arizona State – 871 (+7)
5. Vanderbilt – 876 (+12)
6. North Carolina – 877 (+13)
7. NC State – 879 (+15)
T8. Oklahoma – 880 (+16)
T8. Utah – 880 (+16)
10. Augusta – 883 (+19)
11. Louisville – 885 (+21)
12. Kentucky – 889 (+25)
13. Notre Dame – 891 (+27)
14. North Florida – 896 (+32)
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1. Josiah Gilbert – 71-69-68=208 (-8)
T7. Alex Holder (IND) – 73-69-72=214 (-2)
T17. Logan Reilly – 73-70-75=218 (+2)
T17. Billy Davis – 74-73-71=218 (+2)
T28. Jake Albert – 77-74-69=220 (+4)
T57. Cayden Pope – 78-74-73=225 (+9)