The 11th-ranked men's golf team finished eighth in a 13-team field at this year's NCAA South Central Regional this past weekend at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie, Colo.
The Tigers shot a final round 6-over par to slip from second to eighth place on day three of the NCAA regionals.
Dominic Bozzelli led the Tigers on Saturday with a 3-under par score of 69 and a 218 total for the tournament.
Blayne Barber (73-212) and Niclas Carlsson (74-212) finished in a tie for ninth individually.
No. 1 Oklahoma State (282-833) surpassed the field shooting 31-under for the event, followed by NCAA Championship qualifiers Colorado State (279-851), Northwestern (276-855), No. 12 Georgia (287-857) and Arizona State (285-857).
The Tigers finished with a final day total of 294 and an overall total of 865.
The Tigers stood alone in second place after the second day at 9-under but were unable to make a move on the final day.
"We are pretty disappointed with the way the season ended," said Auburn head coach Nick Clinard. "We were going along good until about six holes left. That is when the wheels kind of came off for us."
Although the season did not meet the team's expectations, both coach and players alike see this year as a success and are looking forward to next year.
Sophomore Blayne Barber, who had the best yearly scoring average of any Auburn golfer in 34 years, said he sees a bright future for Auburn golf.
"This year was a good experience," Barber said. "We did really well in the regular season, and I can see us doing great things next year. I am looking forward to it for sure."
Sophomore Michael Hebert said the team was disappointed they did not make nationals, considering they were in second place going into the final day.
"We are a really young team," Hebert said. "Everybody comes back next year and we are all going to get better."
Despite the finish, this season has been one for the record books.
As a team, Auburn finished in the top three eight times, which is a school record. They also won three tournaments.
The team's scoring average of 286.39 is the best for any Auburn team on record.
"Overall, we had an outstanding year," Clinard said. "These guys did great not only on the course, but in the classroom as well. This season is nothing to hang our heads about. We improved a lot over the course of the year."
The Tigers look to build on this season's success this fall as everybody from this team returns for another year, boosting Auburn's chances.
"We have everyone coming back along with two other freshmen coming in," Clinard said. "One of them is considered one of the best in the nation, I am really looking forward to a much improved team next fall."
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