Auburn Men’s Golf Advances to Match Play at SEC Championship
Auburn’s men’s golf team achieved an important milestone on Friday by winning the stroke play segment of the SEC Championship, securing their spot in the weekend’s match play. Their pursuit of the championship title continues.
Entering Friday, Auburn was locked in a tie with LSU at 26-under, with Texas A&M and Oklahoma close behind. The competition remained tight early on, but Auburn excelled to finish the day at 12-under, concluding stroke play at 38-under, nine shots ahead of LSU, which finished at 29-under.
This impressive finish of 38-under set a new record for the SEC Championship.
Head coach Nick Clinard remarked, “I felt we started a bit slowly, but the team showed resilience, particularly in the last six holes. They stayed focused and began sinking putts consistently in the final nine holes.”
Sophomore sensation Jackson Koivun encountered a bogey on hole 2 but quickly rebounded with birdies on holes 3, 6, and 8. With the individual stroke play title at stake, he faced another bogey on hole 11 but then nailed five birdies in his last six holes, including on 17 and 18, finishing at 12-under, one shot ahead of Oklahoma’s Drew Goodman.
Koivun, who won the SEC individual title as a freshman last year, is now among only ten players in SEC history to claim multiple individual titles, joining a list that last saw a back-to-back winner in 1976.
The Auburn squad now shifts focus to the match play stage, facing a tough challenge against Texas in the quarterfinals. As of this event, Auburn holds a No. 2 national ranking, with Texas not far behind at No. 3. The winner will advance to the semifinals, aiming for a chance at the championship match on Sunday.
“Tomorrow’s match will be demanding,” Clinard stated. “Playing Texas in the first round is challenging, but we must perform well. Our initial step this evening will be to commend Jackson and the team for their stroke play victory—a significant achievement against tough competition.” The quarterfinals will commence at 6:30 a.m. CT, with the SEC Championship’s final matches to be broadcasted on the SEC Network and SEC Network+.
SEC Championship Stroke Play Final Leaderboard:
- 1: Auburn (-38)
- 2: LSU (-29)
- 3: Texas A&M (-23)
- 4: Oklahoma (-22)
- 5: Florida (-16)
- 6: Georgia (-11)
- T7: Alabama (-6)
- T7: Texas (-6)
- — CUT LINE —
- 9: South Carolina (-4)
- 10: Ole Miss (-2)
- 11: Arkansas (-1)
- 12: Mississippi State (+1)
- 13: Vanderbilt (+4)
- 14: Tennessee (+9)
- 15: Kentucky (+22)
- 16: Missouri (+26)
