Top-ranked Auburn found itself in an unusual spot as the Tigers made the turn on Wednesday during the final day of the NCAA Regionals in Athens, Ga. They were below the cut line and in danger of seeing their season end right there instead of advancing to the NCAA Championships in Carlsbad, Calif., where everyone, including them, expected them to be.
That’s when the No. 1 team in the country went to work, finishing the back nine with 12 birdies, including four on No. 17, as they finished in third place at -22 and will have a shot at bringing home their second national title in three years later this month.
“What a long week,” head coach Nick Clinard said. “The front nine was a disaster every day, just call it what it is, but on the back nine, we played some real good golf. They made some birdies when it mattered and they got the job done.”
Auburn puts up 12 birdies on back nine to fight off elimination
It will be the 13th trip to the championships in 16 years under Clinard, but this one didn’t come easy, especially as Jackson Koivun, the top amateur in the world and favorite to win the Haskins Award for the second time in three years, struggled during the first two rounds. The junior was able to put it together on the final day, shooting a team-best 67 (-4).
“I just didn’t have my best stuff this week, but we’re happy to squeak on in there and get to nationals. At the end of the day, that’s the goal,” Koivun said. “Having a ticket booked to LaCosta feels real good.”
Josiah Gilbert paced the way for Auburn and finished with a top-five individual finish at -11. Still, the junior wasn’t exactly having a blast out there.
“That was not fun,” Gilbert said. “We’ve been blessed that we haven’t had to stress much on the golf course so far this year, but in the long run, I think it’s good for us. We showed a lot of grit and a lot of fight, and to pull that off down the stretch was pretty nice.”
The NCAA Championship is set for May 29 – June 3 at the Omni LaCosta Champions Course in Carlsbad, California.
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