AUBURN, Ala. – No. 6 Auburn men's golf opens its fall 2023 season Sept. 8-10 at the Mirabel Maui Jim Intercollegiate at The Mirabel Club in Cave Creek, Arizona. At last year's Maui Jim, Auburn shot a school-record 45 strokes below par to defeat a field that included nine other ranked programs.
To clinch back-to-back championships, the Tigers need to outplay Colorado, Fresno State, Georgia State, Mercer, Missouri, New Mexico, RV Ohio State, Little Rock, No. 22 Oregon, RV San Diego State, Santa Clara, SMU, Texas State and UNLV.
"We're really excited to kickstart another season of college golf this week," Tigers head coach Nick Clinard said. "This team has a great mix of experience and leadership as well as some talented young blood. It is certainly one of the deepest teams I have ever coached in my career, which will be a huge advantage for us as our season is long and bound to be full of obstacles. The potential of this group is unlimited, so we're excited to show the Auburn family what we're made of."
Three members from last year's winning squad tee it up this week. Seniors Carson Bacha, J.M. Butler and Ryan Eshleman combine with junior Brendan Valdes and freshman Jackson Koivun in search of another team title.
An added incentive to the tournament this season is an exemption into a 2024-25 Korn Ferry Tour event for the individual winner. The lone man standing will work with the KFT to name the event of his choosing.
At the 2022 Maui Jim, Eshleman finished tied for eighth after shooting 199 (-11), highlighted by a 10-under 60 in the opening round. Bacha shot two strokes higher, 201 (-9), and finished tied for 11th while Butler pieced together a 6-under 204, which was good for a tied for 21st. Valdes competed at the Maui Jim's individual tournament on Desert Mountain and finished third at 12-under 204.
While Koivun is the only underclassman to crack the first team lineup of the season, he is no stranger to succeeding at the highest of levels as he was tabbed as the No. 1 recruit in his class by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA).
Valdes spearheads the lineup from the one spot followed by Bacha at the two, Koivun at three, Eshleman at four and Butler at five. Butler begins Friday's round, teeing off from the first hole at 10 a.m. CT. Auburn plays its first 36 holes paired with Oregon and San Diego State.
Also making the trip to Arizona are senior Alex Vogelsong, sophomore Reed Lotter and freshmen Josiah Gilbert and Cayden Pope. The four men play in this year's Maui Jim Individual at Legend Trail Golf Club Friday and Saturday. The individual tournament is set to host approximately 40 players.
Live scoring for the entirety of the Mirabel Maui Jim Intercollegiate is provided via Golf Genius.