SHOAL CREEK, Ala. – After dropping the first two matches of the tournament, the Auburn men's golf team rebounded in dominant fashion on Tuesday, only surrendering one of its ten individual competitions en route to two team victories to conclude action at the SEC Match Play Championship.
"We played great golf today," said Tigers head coach Nick Clinard. "Our guys came out with the right mindset, and it showed. Match play is a different animal, but we battled, and I am super proud of our guys' performances these last two matches."
Continuing play from the previous evening, the Tigers claimed their first victory on the day against Mississippi State, 4-0-1.
Junior Alex Vogelsong and sophomore Carson Bacha secured the first two Tiger points Monday evening as they were able to conclude play before the round was called due to darkness.
Sophomore J.M. Butler bested Pedro Cruz Silva, 3&1, for the third Auburn point before junior C.J. Easley took down Hunter Logan, 1-UP, to snag the fourth.
Austin Coggin went toe-to-toe with Mississippi State's Ford Clegg as the two tied the contest after 18 holes.
In Tuesday's sequel, the Auburn men claimed yet another triumph, this time over the Kentucky Wildcats, 3-1-1.
Easley notched another win in his belt, downing UK's Campbell Kremer, 2-UP. Butler and Coggin also came in clutch with wins over Cooper Parks and Hugo Archer, respectively, to put the match away.
Butler won 5&4 while Coggin claimed his win 4&2.
Vogelsong concluded play against Jacob Cook in a tie and Bacha fell late to Zach Norris, 2&1, the only blemish on the Tigers' Tuesday resumé.
Throughout the event, each Tiger collected two wins apiece as Coggin, Easley and Vogelsong all went 2-1-1 to lead the squad, individually. Bacha and Butler both racked up 2-2 records through their four rounds of play.
The Arkansas Razorbacks claimed the tournament's team championship after routing Vanderbilt, 3-2, in the final matchup.
The path to victory for the Razorbacks also included wins over Mississippi State, Ole Miss and LSU.
Up Next
It's a quick turnaround for the Tigers as they are slated to compete in the Isleworth Collegiate, formerly known as the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational, on Oct. 17-19 in Windermere, Florida.
RESULTS
Auburn def. Mississippi State, 4-0-1
Auburn def. Kentucky, 3-1-1
(Mississippi State)
Vogelsong def. Nimmo, 6&4
Butler def. Cruz Silva, 3&1
Bacha def. Ettlin, 5&4
Coggin tied Clegg
Easley def. Logan, 1-UP
(Kentucky)
Vogelsong tied Cook
Norris def. Bacha, 2&1
Easley def. Kremer, 2-UP
Butler def. Parks, 5&4
Coggin def. Archer, 4&2