WEST POINT, Miss. – With a career-best 13-under 203 performance, Auburn men's golf junior Ryan Eshleman captured the first individual win of his career Tuesday at the Mossy Oak Collegiate.
"Today was a day I've dreamed of for many years," Eshleman said. "To get my first college win is super special and to have my dad out there watching makes it even better! I'm super thankful for my teammates, coaches and family. I feel like I have the best support in the world, and this would not be possible without any of them!"
A rocky start to his finale did not deter Eshleman. After making three bogeys through his first six holes, he rebounded in a major way, making birdie on seven of his final 12 holes to lock up the win.
𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟 🔔
— Auburn Men's Golf (@AuburnMGolf) April 4, 2023
First career dub for Eshy 🏆#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/4K1JmOxTDz
For the tournament, Eshleman shot 67-67-69 to earn medalist honors alongside Ole Miss' Sarut Vongchaisit. The Birmingham, Alabama native's 203 (-13) holds up as the eighth-lowest 54-hole score in school history and shatters Gordon Sargent's Mossy Oak record of 204 (-12) from a season ago.
As a team, the Tigers shot 282 (-6) in the final round and were not able to fend off No. 15 Tennessee as the Volunteers finished a single shot lower at 40-under and captured the team crown. Auburn's 39-under (825) outing solidifies the third-best score for the team this year.
"Any time we step out onto that course, our goal is to win," Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said. "We know that we've got the talent and determination to do it anywhere. Obviously, we're not satisfied with second place, but that doesn't mean we didn't play some fantastic golf this week. All of our guys have worked so hard to continually improve, and that is showing. We're slowly but surely rising to the top of our game and that's exactly where you want to be with postseason right around the corner."
Leading the lineup for the Orange & Blue were sophomore Brendan Valdes and junior Carson Bacha. Valdes shot his 16th-consecutive round at par or better with a 71 (-1) in his final 18 to card a 205 (-11) for the week. Capturing solo fifth, Valdes has also finished inside the top 10 in his last three outings and inside the top 15 in seven of eight this season. Bacha signed for a 70 (-2) in his final stretch to finish a stroke higher at 206 (-10) and place tied for sixth. The junior from York, Pennsylvania joins Valdes on a hot streak of his own as he has finished at par or better in each of his five previous tournaments.
In another pair of near identical performances, freshman Reed Lotter and senior Alex Vogelsong earned two more top-20 finishes at 208 (-8) and 209 (-7), respectively, with each tying their career low. On Tuesday, Lotter closed with a 73 (+1) while in his 100th career round, Vogelsong carded a 70 (-2). After making his final birdie of the week on 3, Vogelsong also passed Patton Kizzire for the 11th-most birdies in an Auburn career with 362.
Junior J.M. Butler closed his outing with a 71 (-1) to finish at 214 (-2) overall.
Next week, the Tigers head east for the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial in Charlottesville, Virginia, April 10-11. The tournament will be hosted by Virginia's Birdwood Golf Club.
| Placement | Golfer | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1st | Ryan Eshleman (Ind.) | 67 (-5) | 67 (-5) | 69 (-3) | 203 (-13) |
| 5th | Brendan Valdes | 68 (-4) | 66 (-6) | 71 (-1) | 205 (-11) |
| T6th | Carson Bacha | 66 (-6) | 70 (-2) | 70 (-2) | 206 (-10) |
| 16th | Reed Lotter | 67 (-5) | 68 (-4) | 73 (+1) | 208 (-8) |
| T17th | Alex Vogelsong | 70 (-2) | 69 (-3) | 70 (-2) | 209 (-7) |
| T45th | J.M. Butler | 69 (-3) | 74 (+2) | 71 (-1) | 214 (-2) |
| 2nd | TEAM | 270 (-18) | 273 (-15) | 282 (-6) | 825 (-39) |
TEAM STANDINGS:
1. No. 15 Tennessee 824 (-40)
2. No. 6 Auburn 825 (-39)
3. No. 21 Mississippi State 826 (-38)
4. No. 23 Ole Miss 835 (-29)
5. RV Liberty 838 (-26)
6. No. 17 Alabama 844 (-20)
7. RV LSU 845 (-19)
8. No. 24 Kansas State 846 (-18)
9. RV Cincinnati 846 (-18)
10. Troy 855 (-9)
11. Middle Tennessee 861 (-3)
12. Southern Miss 864 (E)
13. UAB 866 (+2)
14. Memphis 868 (+4)
15. Lamar 882 (+18)
16. Louisiana Tech 884 (+20)
17. Louisiana 896 (+32)
18. Abilene Christian 903 (+39)