WEST POINT, Miss. – The Auburn men's golf team is leaving Mossy Oak Golf Club with its fourth top-two finish of the spring thanks to a huge final round on Tuesday.
As a team, the Tigers finished round two with a 284 (-4) before going even lower and shooting a round's-best 278 (-10) to close the Mossy Oak Collegiate Championship and jump three spots on the leaderboard.
"The team played well this week, which we knew we were capable of, but we still didn't have our best stuff," Auburn assistant coach Chris Williams said. "The boys were able to piece together a sneaky, back-door, runner-up finish, and coach Clinard and myself are proud of that. We feel great heading into SECs. The team is playing well, and we feel like we have nothing to lose."
Auburn heads home as the only team with all five players in its lineup to finish inside the event's top 25.
Sophomore J.M. Butler carried the torch for the team in all three rounds, shooting 210 (-6) to earn fourth place. The finish marks Butler's seventh placement inside the top-15 in eight regular season tournaments.
The Louisville, Kentucky native also led the field of 100 golfers, making 18 birdies through his 36 holes.
Following Butler was freshman Evan Vo, who carded a 214 (-2) to finish tied for 12th. Vo's best stanza was his third, shooting 3-under 69 to record yet another round in the 60s, his fifth of the season.
Junior Alex Vogelsong joined in as the third Tiger to finish the week below par. The Palm City, Florida native used a 71 and 70 in his final two rounds to finish at 215 (-1) and earn the 12th top-20 finish of his career.
Junior C.J. Easley and sophomore Carson Bacha turned in matching scorecards after 54 holes of play as both men shot par (216) to finish tied for 23rd place. Easley used a pair of solid rounds on Tuesday, shooting 71 and 70, to finish strong while Bacha played consistently throughout, never deviating more than a shot above or below par.
Vanderbilt earned the Mossy Oak team title with a 25-under 839 while the Commodore's Gordon Sargent captured individual honors at 204 (-12).
UP NEXT
The Tigers kickstart postseason action by heading to Sea Island, Georgia for this year's SEC Championships April 19-24.
| Placement | Golfer | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T4 | J.M. Butler | 70 (-2) | 71 (-1) | 69 (-3) | 210 (-6) |
| T12 | Evan Vo | 72 (E) | 73 (+1) | 69 (-3) | 214 (-2) |
| T20 | Alex Vogelsong | 74 (+2) | 71 (-1) | 70 (-2) | 215 (-1) |
| T23 | C.J. Easley | 75 (+3) | 71 (-1) | 70 (-2) | 216 (E) |
| T23 | Carson Bacha | 73 (+1) | 71 (-1) | 72 (E) | 216 (E) |
| 2 | TEAM | 289 (+1) | 284 (-4) | 278 (-10) | 851 (-13) |
TEAM STANDINGS
1. No. 5 Vanderbilt 839 (-25)
2. No. 15 Auburn 851 (-13)
T3. No. 21 LSU 854 (-10)
T3. Mississippi State 854 (-10)
5. Kansas State 861 (-3)
6. No. 24 Ole Miss 863 (-1)
T7. Middle Tennessee 870 (+6)
T7. No. 19 Florida State 870 (+6)
9. UAB 871 (+7)
T10. Louisiana Tech 873 (+9)
T10. Louisiana 873 (+9)
T12. ULM 879 (+15)
T12. Lipscomb 879 (+15)
T12. Michigan 879 (+15)
15. Arkansas State 881 (+17)
16. Chattanooga 885 (+21)
17. Southern Miss 887 (+23)
18. South Alabama 893 (+29)
19. Memphis 894 (+30)