Nick Clinard knew that this year’s NCAA Regional wouldn’t be as easy as last year’s, when Auburn played on its home course and ran away from the rest of the competition. None of the Tigers had ever played at the University of Georgia Golf Course before this week, and with almost a month off since the SEC Tournament, the unfamiliarity with the course showed early.
“I thought we were really sluggish out of the gates,” Clinard said. “With them having three weeks off, there was some rust to shake off, but they were a resilient group on the back nine. They’ve been resilient all year. I’m proud of them for hanging in there and putting us in a good position moving forward. Our goal will just be to get off to a better start tomorrow.”
Josiah Gilbert shoots six-under to pace No. 1 Auburn
Luckily for Clinard and the Tigers, Josiah Gilbert had little rust to shake off as he came out firing a 65 (-6), leading top-ranked Auburn to a tie at second place at -7 with Vanderbilt and three shots behind leader Louisville.
Gilbert, one of the three players left from last year’s rotation, birdied No. 4, 6, 7 and 9 to card a 31 on the front nine. He continued that pace with three straight birdies from No. 11 to 13 on the back before putting up his only bogey of the day on No. 14.
Jackson Koivun, the top amateur in the world and winner of SEC Player of the Year for the third straight season, struggled on the front, making three bogeys. As usual, the Hawkins Award finalist turned it around on the back, making five birdies with one bogey to get back to -1 to end the day. According to Auburn’s press release, Koivun was battling an illness during his round.
Cayden Pope had a chance to finish under par after making three birdies on the back, but he bogeyed No. 18 to finish even on the day. Logan Reilly also finished even, while Jake Albert shot three over despite an eagle on No. 17.
The Tigers play two more rounds, with the top five teams advancing to the NCAA Championship in Carlsbad, Calif., later this month.
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