The Auburn men’s golf team was ranked No. 1 in all three major golf polls for the first time in school history on Oct. 23. Then it was forced to wait the entire offseason.
When the Tigers stepped back on the course for the first time this spring, they looked like anything but the nation’s top team.
Auburn was in 14th place out of 19 teams after two rounds of the Amer Ari Invitational in Waikoloa, Hawaii, and the team faced a crossroads. Either it would accept its fate and mail in the tournament’s final round, or it would continue to fight, even though the championship was out of reach.
The Tigers chose the latter, battling back to post the top team score of the final round and finish 10th overall. Though the finish was still disappointing, Auburn coach Nick Clinard took consolation in his team’s response to adversity.
“You’re sitting on the whole offseason ranked No. 1 in the country and, you know, you get the big head a little bit, especially when you’re talking about young people,” Clinard said. “You go out there the first two rounds and you get knocked down a little bit. I was really impressed with how they responded the final round.”
With its lesson learned, Auburn returned to its home state and dominated the field, which included No. 2 Wake Forest, from start to finish in the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate.
All-American senior Michael Johnson won medalist honors, but the improvement came below him.
Clinard has said since the fall season that he wants more production and consistency from the bottom of his lineup, and he got just that in Mobile.
Though Auburn’s fifth player placed 51st, the Tigers ran away with the title thanks to its top four players, all of which placed in the top 17.
“They were clicking on all cylinders in Mobile,” Clinard said. “I think, top to bottom, we took nine guys, and if you looked at all nine of them, I think that’s probably as good as we’ve played since I’ve been there as a coach.”
Auburn now turns its focus to its only home tournament of the season — the Tiger Invitational presented by Jason Dufner at Grand National Lake Course in Opelika.
Two SEC schools — Kentucky and Mississippi State — will play in the tournament, which will run March 6-8, along with Power 5 schools such as Notre Dame, Ohio State and Kansas State.
Though none of the visiting teams are ranked in the top 25, Auburn knows it has no margin for error. If the Tigers forget, all they have to do is think back to the season’s opening two rounds.
“I think it was actually a good thing,” Clinard said. “I think they can learn from it, I think they can grow from it and I think they realize that if they don’t work hard and bring their best stuff every week, they’re going to get beat.”
Auburn, now No. 3 in the country, is looking to carry momentum from its latest win just as it did from the final round in Hawaii, only now with a different lineup.
Freshman Trace Crowe will make his first college start in place of Will Long, who has been inconsistent thus far this season.
Crowe is fresh off a win at the USA Individual Tournament, and Clinard hopes he can provide a spark in the fourth spot alongside fellow starters Johnson, Matt Gilchrest, Jake Mondy and Ben Schlottman. Long will play on the Auburn B-team, as will Jacob Solomon, who missed the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate with an injury after a strong showing in Hawaii.
“Our expectation is to go out there and win and win pretty easily,” Clinard said. “I know it will be a tough battle. There’s a lot of good players and a lot of parity in our sport now. … It’ll be a good opportunity. The weather is supposed to be good, and we’re looking forward to it.”
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