Auburn claims Tiger Invitational title

OPELIKA, Ala. – The No. 16 Auburn men's golf team earned its second tournament title of the season when it won the Tiger Invitational Wednesday afternoon. The Tigers shot 26-under (282-274-282--838) and held off Alabama by two strokes at the par-72 Grand National Lake Course.

"I think we're pretty good," head coach Nick Clinard said. "I keep telling our guys that you can be as good as you want to be. To be in this field at this golf course to go out and compete the way we did, beat all the teams in the SEC that were here and our rivals head-to-head at the end, it's very gratifying.

"You've got to enjoy it while you can, but you've got to have a short memory in this game."

After playing 36 holes Monday, Auburn tried to complete the tournament on Tuesday, but was halted by inclement weather. Wednesday morning greeted the field with a window that worked for finishing the final round, despite foggy conditions.

"The guys know the golf course," added Clinard. "They know there are difficult shots on the par-3s and they know how to manage their way around it. I thought our guys were very resilient. We've got a good group of kids. These are high-character and high-integrity kids. They work hard, do the right things and it doesn't surprise me that they were very resilient."

Graysen Huff led the way for the Tigers as he tied for sixth at 7-under (71-67-71--209). The senior had a team-best 12 pars and added a pair of birdies and an eagle on the 545-yard, par-5 14th hole in his final circuit of the course.

C.J. Easley and J.M. Butler also placed in the top 15 with Easley tying for 11th at 5-under (70-69-72--211) and Butler tying for 13th just one stroke back at 4-under (73-69-70--212). Butler had a team-high seven birdies in the final round, while Easley added four split across the front and back nine.

Alex Vogelsong tied for 20th at 3-under (68-69-76--213). The sophomore had three birdies and nine pars on his final card.

Austin Coggin and Andrew Kozan were close behind and tied for 24th and 27th, respectively. Coggin had three birdies on the front nine and produced a spotless back nine to finish at 2-under (74-70-70--214). Kozan had his best round of the week with a clean front nine and five birdies across his final 18 holes to conclude at 1-under (73-73-69--215).

Wells Padgett matched Huff with an eagle on the 14th hole to highlight his week and finish in a tie for 36th at 2-over (75-69-74--218).

Rounding out the lineup, Jake Milanowski tied for 76th at 10-over (79-76-71--226) and Hal Dove finished 89th at 35-over (90-80-81--251).

Auburn won the event at 26-under (838), followed by Alabama (840), No. 24 LSU (851), No. 14 Vanderbilt (851) and South Carolina (853).

The Tigers return to the course March 26-28 for the Ole Waverly Collegiate in Starkville, Miss.

Team Scores
1. Auburn: -26 (282-274-282--838)
2. Alabama: -24 (276-283-281--840)
T-3. LSU: -13 (287-281-283--851)
T-3. Vanderbilt: -13 (283-283-285--851)
5. South Carolina: -11 (283-284-286--853)
6. Georgia: -10 (280-282-292--854)
7. Arkansas: -9 (287-284-284--855)
8. Mississippi State: -4 (288-288-284--860)
9. Tennessee: -1 (286-280-297--863)
10. Arkansas State: +2 (295-287-284--866)
11. Texas A&M: +4 (292-287-289--868)
T-12. UAB: +5 (286-291-292--869)
T-12. Georgia Southern: +5 (290-288-291--869)
14. South Alabama: +16 (290-284-306--880)
15. Missouri: +19 (294-301-288--883)

Auburn Individuals
T-6. Graysen Huff: -7 (71-67-71--209)
T-11. C.J. Easley: -5 (70-69-72--211)
T-13. J.M. Butler: -4 (73-69-70--212)
T-20. Alex Vogelsong: -3 (68-69-76--213)
T-24. Austin Coggin: -2 (74-70-70--214) - ind.
T-27. Andrew Kozan: -1 (73-73-69--215)
T-36. Wells Padgett: +2 (75-69-74--218) - ind.
T-76. Jake Milanowski: +10 (79-76-71--226) - ind.
89. Hal Dove: +35 (90-80-81--251) - ind.