The improvement was too little and came too late for Auburn in the Amer Ari Invitational.
The Tigers, who entered the tournament ranked No. 1 in the nation in two of three major college golf polls, finished in 10th place despite drastic improvement on Day Three, on which the team carded a 10-under-par 278.
Auburn fired the best score of any team on Day Three and finished the final round 12 strokes under its previous best round in the tournament. Each individual player shot equal to or lower than their previous-best round at the Kings' Crossing Course in Waikoloa, Hawaii.
Senior Michael Johnson finished a team-high 20th individually and was solid throughout the tournament, posting consecutive rounds at 2-under 70 after an even-par 72 in the opening round.
Sophomore Ben Schlottman and junior Ryan Benton finished the tournament tied for 42nd at even par, while junior Matt Gilchrest finished 91st at 9-over.
The highlight of the day was junior Will Long, who bounced back from two rough rounds to post a team-best score on the final day.
Long fired a career-best 5-under 67, which was 10 strokes lower than his previous two rounds. He led the team with six birdies on Day Three.
Freshman Jacob Solomon finished the tournament at even par, while Jake Mondy finished at 1-over. Solomon and Mondy played in the tournament as individuals and did not count toward the team score.
No. 7 Southern California edged No. 23 UCLA on the final day to win the tournament by two strokes. Oregon's Aaron Wise captured the individual title at 16-under 200.
Auburn will be back on the course on Feb. 22-23 at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate.
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