The 15th-ranked men's golf team rebounded from a slow start to finish second at last weekend's Gary Koch Invitational in Tampa, Fla.
The Tigers ended the three-round, 54-hole tournament at a combined 6-under-par, nine strokes behind first-place University of Virginia, who also took the individual title.
"We struggled a little bit in the first round, but we played real well in the second round," said coach Nick Clinard. "Sunday, we had it really going there for a while and made a few mistakes on the last couple of holes, but overall, they played pretty well."
Sophomore Michael Hebert led the Tigers with a 3-under-par performance to tie for eighth place, while freshman Niclas Carlsson began his collegiate career with a 12th-place finish, tying Auburn junior Will McCurdy at 2-under.
"I guess, when we played the first time, we saw how the greens were, where to put the ball, stuff like that, so I guess that helped us a lot," Carlsson said.
The Tigers will compete Oct. 11-12 at the Jerry Pate Invitational in Birmingham.
The event will be hosted by the University of Alabama, which finished fourth with a 17-over-par at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational Sept. 17-19.
The team opened its season by winning the team title at the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Rocky Face, Ga.
Alabama players have had two and a half weeks to practice, but the Tigers will have to adjust its game in a single week.
Auburn scored the most birdies of any of the 12 competing schools at the Koch Invitational, and they also performed best on par-4 scoring.
The team struggled elsewhere, however, and Clinard referenced the team's lackluster par-5 scoring at the Koch Invitational as an indication of what needs work, but he also focused on basics.
"We'll continue to work on our putting, and we'll continue to work on our golf swing," Clinard said. "We gotta get that a little bit better too."
The Jerry Pate Invitational will offer several Auburn golfers the chance to recover from initially disappointing performances, especially sophomore Blayne Barber, who overcame a 4-over and 3-over in the first two rounds to the best hot streak on the team Sunday.
In the third round, Barber shot a double-bogey on the third hole, but scored six consecutive birdies to finish the front nine.
Last year, Auburn placed seventh at the Pate Invitational, which was abbreviated to one 18-hole round because of a rainout the first day. The three highest-placing Tigers tied for 20th at 1-over.
The Tigers look forward to the next match and feel confident about their abilities.
"I'm really optimistic (about next week)," Hebert said. "We finished second here, and we got a good team, so I know we'll pick the right lineup, and we should be able to compete again and hopefully pull out a win next week."
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