Tigers complete round two of NCAA Championship

Tigers complete round two of NCAA ChampionshipTigers complete round two of NCAA Championship
Tucker Cleverdon/Auburn Athletics

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – With 36 holes in the books, No. 12 Auburn men's golf rose three spots up the leaderboard at the NCAA Championship, shooting 6-over Saturday at Grayhawk Golf Club for a two-day total of 574 (+14).
 
The Tigers are tied for 11th, two shots ahead of the 15th place cutline that with follow Sunday's third round.
 
On Saturday, the Orange & Blue lineup found a little more consistency with a pair of 71s, a pair of 72s and a 74. Senior Alex Vogelsong and freshman Reed Lotter delivered the day's best performances.
 
Vogelsong birdied two of his final four holes, 6 and 9, to shoot two-under on his back half and lock up the 1-over 71. Lotter made birdie three times, on 2, 10 and 13, to highlight his scorecard.
 
"Today felt a lot better than yesterday," Lotter said. "I struck the ball really well and am focused on improving my tempo and my putting for tomorrow. It's a hard course. You've got to stay in the moment. I'm heading into the third round feeling like I've got a solid game plan, so I'm going to take some confidence from that."
 
Juniors Carson Bacha and J.M. Butler followed with the 2-over 72s. Bacha found birdies on 6, 8 and 16 while Butler found four of his own on 6, 10, 12 and 17. Sophomore Brendan Valdes carded a 4-over 74 for the round's drop score.
 
Butler will lead off for Auburn on Sunday, beginning at 9:27 a.m. CT. Tee times will be in 11-minute intervals. The Tigers will play alongside Alabama and Texas A&M.
   

PlacementGolferR1R2Total
T13Carson Bacha68 (-2)72 (+2)140 (E)
T24Alex Vogelsong71 (+1)71 (+1)142 (+2)
T84Brendan Valdes73 (+3)74 (+4)147 (+7)
T84Reed Lotter76 (+6)71 (+1)147 (+7)
T95J.M. Butler76 (+6)72 (+2)148 (+8)
T11thTEAM288 (+8)286 (+6)574 (+14)