Auburn golf currently has 16 alumni playing on professional tours, but the 2015-16 team has already accomplished something none of them could.
For the first time in school history, Auburn is the consensus No. 1 team in the nation, according to the three major college golf polls – Golfweek Coaches, Golfweek Sagarin and Golfstat.
The Tigers climbed to the top of the polls by winning two of their four tournaments in the fall season, one of which contained 12 of the nations’ top 25 teams, including seven of the top 10.
Coach Nick Clinard said the ranking is something the team can be proud of as it enters a three-month hiatus before the spring season.
“As a team and collective unit, that gives them a lot of confidence,” Clinard said. “They think they’re pretty good when they represent A-U and have Auburn on their golf bag. They carry it with a lot of pride and carry it with a little swagger.”
While the honor is important to this year’s team, Clinard noted the positive recognition has helped all areas of the program.
“Obviously it helps recruiting,” Clinard said. “It helps with the schedule that we can play. The former players are fired up; the donors are fired up. I think it helps all avenues in our program.”
Auburn needed contributions from players of all ages this fall to rise to the top of the rankings, and that’s exactly what the Tigers received.
Before the fall season, Clinard told The Plainsman he expected to see Michael Johnson “put the team on his back” this year, and the senior has not disappointed.
Johnson led the team to the top of the polls with a nice 69.00 stroke average. He carded a 64 in the opening round of the Primland Collegiate Invitational, which tied for the second-lowest score in Auburn history.
“(Johnson’s) game is very well-rounded,” Clinard said. “He’s a superior athlete for the game of golf, and he’s got a lot of [club] speed. I think he’s just really grown up from a maturity standpoint. It’s his time.”
On the other end of the spectrum, freshman Jacob Solomon made an immediate impact for the Tigers.
The Dublin, California, native averaged 71.55 strokes per round and finished in the top 20 of all four tournaments.
“(Solomon) understands the game, has a good head on his shoulders,” Clinard said. “He has his limitations, just like all of us do, just like everyone else on the team, but he understands them and is very mature about his game.”
Per NCAA rules, coaches are only allowed to spend two hours per week with the athletes in the break period between the fall and spring seasons, but the golfers will continue individual workouts. Clinard said the team will ramp up its fitness work in an effort to improve flexibility, conditioning and core strength.
The focus is now squarely on Feb. 4, when Auburn will begin its spring season attempting to do something else no team in school history has done – bring a national title back to the Plains.
“For the team, our ranking is great,” Johnson said. “But I want our ranking to be there at the end of the year, rather than at the beginning.”
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