Ranked in the top 10 in the polls entering the spring season and looking for their seventh consecutive NCAA Championship appearance, Auburn golf is no stranger to success under coach Nick Clinard.
The Tigers finished in the top 5 of all four tournaments in the fall and will look to take the next step in search of their first national title in school history.
“We should have a good spring. We’ve got a lot of talent, a lot of skill, and a lot of depth. I think that will benefit us down the road,” Clinard said.
One of the biggest surprises of the fall season was the immediate success of the teams’ freshmen. While the Tigers’ 2017 recruiting class was one of the best in the country and included four of the top 100 recruits, few could foresee how big of an impact they would make.
Wells Padgett, Brandon Mancheno and Andrew Kozan all cracked the starting lineup and led a class that was ranked fourth in “freshman impact” by Golfweek.
Mancheno finished in the top 25 in three of four events in the fall and had a chance to win the Trinity Forest Invitational before finishing in a tie for third. He also led the Tigers with a T9 finish at the Jerry Pate Invitational.
Padgett finished T44 in his first college event at the Carpet Capital Collegiate, but improved throughout the fall and notched his first top 10 at the Tavistock Invitational, finishing tied for ninth.
“I think they’ll just continue to get better,” Clinard said. “They are a highly-skilled group, all five of them. Marcus [Svensson] is getting better, getting back into form. Brandon Mancheno and Wells [Padgett] and Andrew [Kozan] are all very skilled, very talented and they are going to continue to help us and continue to push the older guys.”
After establishing themselves as two of the SEC’s best, Jovan Rebula and Trace Crowe will look to continue their strong play and provide leadership for a young Auburn team that has just one senior.
Rebula led the team with a 70.67 scoring average in the fall and finished no worse than T17 in four fall events.
“Jovan’s had a great fall and he is looking to do better,” Clinard said. “Coming back from Orlando, our last tournament in the fall, he was motivated and encouraged because he wants to do better. He wants to finish in the top 5 every tournament and have a chance to win.”
Crowe was an All-SEC second team selection last season after posting a team-low 71.82 scoring average and four top-15 finishes as a sophomore, including a win at the Gary Koch Invitational.
He tied for third at the season-opening Carpet Capital Collegiate and had a 72.08 scoring average in the fall.
“Trace is a talented All-SEC player and we expect great things from him,” Clinard said. “If he can just stay organized in his life, then golf will be easy for him.”
What sets this Auburn team apart from years past is the amount of depth from top to bottom. Ryan Knop did not crack the starting lineup in the fall, but started to put things together with some strong finishes in amateur tournaments over winter break.
Knop racked up two wins and a third-place finish in amateur tournaments over the break and will now look to carry that success over to college golf.
“Ryan has bought into some of the changes he’s had to make in order to have success,” Clinard said. “It’s nice to see him with all the hard work and the changes technically just to start to see some of the fruits of his labor. He’s a guy that we’re excited to see what he can do. He’s a dynamic player, he’s talented, and he’s already proved he can play well at the college level.”
The Tigers’ lone senior, Ben Schlottman, did not play in a tournament this fall but has shown steady improvement and appears to be peaking at the right time. Schlottman will compete as an individual when Auburn opens the spring season at the Amer Ari Invitational in Hawaii.
“[Schlottman] is a very intelligent young man, but his golf has been fantastic,” Clinard said. “He’s arguably playing as good as I’ve seen him play in his career. He’s swinging the club nicely, his ball striking is usually an area of weakness, but he’s striking the ball beautifully. His self-belief is probably as high as it’s been. He can throw a ripple through the lineup as good as he’s playing.”
The team opens its spring campaign Thursday in Waikoloa, Hawaii at the Amer Ari Invitational.
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