Following a tepid start in the first round of the 54-hole Gary Koch Invitational, the 15th-ranked Auburn men's golf team rebounded to finish second with a combined 6-under, 9 strokes behind the University of Virginia.
"We struggled a little bit in the first round," said Auburn head coach Nick Clinard, "but we played real well in the second round. Today, we had it really going there for a while and made a few mistake on the last couple of holes, but overall they played pretty well."
The par-72 course of the Old Memorial Golf Club in Tampa, Fla. initially got the best of Auburn, which finished sixth at the end of the first round Saturday morning.
By the afternoon, however, the players regrouped, reversing the team's 3-over first round with a 7-under round to place the team in a tie for second with Florida State.
Sophomore Michael Hebert was the highest ranking Auburn player, tying for 8th place with a 3-under.
"I did pretty well the first two rounds," Hebert said. "Today, I struggled a little bit out there, but, overall I think I played pretty well."
Freshman Niclas Carlsson also maintained a consistent performance during his collegiate debut, initially tying for 8th with Hebert before finishing with a 2-under to place 12th alongside junior Will McCurdy.
Auburn's No. 1 player, sophomore Blayne Barber, recovered from an early 4-over performance in the first round to shoot a 3-under and tie for 27th with junior Cory Gilmer, who played as an individual.
Junior Kyle Kopsick, last year's individual medalist at the event, shot a 9-over to end in a four-way tie for 38th.
The Tigers will next compete at the Jerry Pate Invitational in Birmingham Oct. 11 and 12.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
