WILMINGTON, N.C. – Auburn men’s golf sophomore Josiah Gilbert’s third place individual finish highlighted a great week for the No. 2 Tigers at Eagle Point Golf Club’s The Williams Cup as the team concluded the tournament shooting 12-under-par to finish third on Tuesday afternoon.
It is Gilbert’s second top five finish over his last three starts. Auburn has yet to finish outside the top three as a team through four tournaments this fall season.
“It was an overall good week,” Tigers head coach Nick Clinard said. “I’m proud of what all seven showed on the course. We needed to make some more putts and manage our games better, but overall, we are showing growth. As we continue to mature, we’ll only keep improving.”
Auburn shot 288 (E), 284 (-4), 280 (-8) to finish the event with a 12-under 852. The Tigers were edged by second-place finishers, No. 3 Arizona State, by three strokes as well as host and tournament champion, No. 10 North Carolina, by four strokes.
Gilbert’s bronze-worthy week started with a 68 (-4) in Sunday’s opener. He followed it with a 71 (-1) on Monday and closed with a 69 (-3) on Tuesday for an 8-under performance.
“I felt as though I played really solid golf all week,” Gilbert said. “The course was super demanding, ball-striking wise, and I was able to stay patient all week. Would’ve loved to see some more putts fall, but I feel like I’m getting to where I want my game to be at this point in the season.”
Gilbert ranked fourth in the 75-man field with 13 birdies made over his 54 holes. He was also one of nine players to record an eagle with one of his own on the par-5 12th during the final round.
Senior Carson Bacha saved his best stuff for last, shooting 69 (-3) on Tuesday to capture his eighth career top 10 finish. Bacha shot 75 (+3) in round one and 71 (-1) in round two. He finished at 1-under overall.
Both sophomore Jackson Koivun and freshman Billy Davis leave Wilmington with 14th place finishes at 1-over. Koivun shot 71-75-71 while Davis’ week consisted of 74-72-71 scorecards.
Senior Brendan Valdes snuck into the top 20 with a 3-over-par performance. He shot 75-70-74. Auburn’s two individual players, freshman Tyler Spielman and sophomore Cayden Pope, finished at 5 and 6-over, respectively.
Next, Auburn turns its attention to the prestigious East Lake Cup in Atlanta, Georgia. The four-team tournament honors the final four teams from the previous year’s NCAA Championship. Auburn, Florida State, Ohio State and Georgia Tech are set to vie for top honors Oct. 28-30 at East Lake Golf Club.
Team Standings
1. No. 10 North Carolina (-16)
2. No. 3 Arizona State (-15)
3. No. 2 Auburn (-12)
4. No. 9 Florida (+1)
5. NC State (+10)
T6. No. 23 Notre Dame (+11)
T6. Louisville (+11)
8. Oregon State (+20)
9. North Florida (+24)
10. Missouri (+27)
T11. UNC Wilmington (+31)
T11. Augusta (+31)
13. New Mexico (+40)