The Auburn men's golf team found itself in an unusual position at the FarmLinks Match Play on Saturday. The Tigers have been a top-10 team nearly all fall and spring, but this weekend, they were the underdogs.
Auburn, which was the lowest seed in the four-team tournament, defeated Alabama in the first round but fell to Vanderbilt in the championship at the FarmLinks Golf Club in Sylacauga.
Senior Michael Johnson, junior Matt Gilchrest and sophomore Ben Schlottman won their matches against the Crimson Tide. Though senior Jake Mondy, junior Will Long and freshman Jacob Solomon dropped their matches against fifth-ranked Alabama, Auburn advanced with an 8-6 stroke margin.
Vanderbilt, the 2-seed, got the better of Auburn in the championship round, winning 3-2-1.
Gilchrest and Long won their matches, and Solomon tied with his counterpart. However, Johnson, Mondy and Schlottman were all defeated.
Alabama bested Georgia Tech, 3-2-1, in the third-place round.
Auburn will return to the course on April 3-5 at the Hootie at Bulls Bay in Awendaw, South Carolina, which will conclude the Tigers' regular season. Auburn will then travel to the SEC Championships in Sea Island, Georgia, on April 15-17.
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