Coming into the weekend ranked tenth in the GCAA coaches poll, the Auburn golf team cemented themselves as one of the best teams in the country and took a big step towards their seventh straight NCAA Championship appearance with a 16-stroke win over No. 3 Baylor in the All-American Intercollegiate Championship in Humble, Texas.
The Tigers carded an 11-under 277 in Sunday’s final round at the Golf Club of Houston and finished a tournament-record 42-under par.
“The guys played great. They drove the ball well and they putted well,” Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said. “We wanted to make a statement this weekend that we’re one of the best teams in the country and we expect to compete at the highest level. And we did that.”
Ben Schlottman, Auburn’s lone senior, led the Tigers with a third-place finish in just his second start of the season after shooting a pair of 67s on the weekend to finish at 12-under. The Advance, North Carolina native is a former All-American and appears to be trending in the right direction as the spring season progresses.
“Ben didn’t get a chance to play last fall, and being a former all-American and SEC freshman of the year, he’s had his peaks and valleys in college,” Clinard said. “He’s swinging it as well as I’ve seen him swing the golf club, and he’s really matured as a human being. He’s worked hard and it’s nice to see him playing well. I know the guys on the team were really happy for him.”
Sophomore Jovan Rebula shot 69-65 on Friday and Saturday to claim the 36-hole lead, but a Sunday 71 left him in a share of fourth place with junior Trace Crowe and Baylor’s Garrett May at 11-under.
Brandon Mancheno continued his stellar freshman season with his fourth top-ten finish. The Jacksonville, Florida native led after 18 holes following a 7-under par 65, but shot just 1-under on the weekend to finish T7.
“Brandon’s a really dynamic player. We had high expectations for him coming in,” Clinard said. “He’s really confident, he’s willing to learn. He’s very coachable which is sometimes difficult for freshmen. He wants to be an elite player and he’s willing to listen to us as coaches to help him become an elite player.”
Freshman Wells Padgett finished 79th at 10-over and junior Ryan Knop finished T35 as an individual. Keenan Huskey of South Carolina won medalist honors at 15-under.
While no Auburn player took home the individual title, the Tigers were a consistent presence at the top of the leaderboard as four players finished in the top seven. With all but one player recording at least one top-20 finish this season, Clinard is confident his team has the depth necessary to compete for a national title.
“We have a lot of depth. It speaks to the entire team, even the guys back home who aren’t playing as much as they want to, they’re still improving,” Clinard said. “They’re getting to be better players and they’re pushing each other to compete. It pushes all of them to be better.”
After missing match play by just one shot at last year’s NCAA Championships, the Tigers will look to get over that hump and challenge the nation’s best this season.
“We just haven’t been able to put it all together in that one week and make match play. We’ve been knocking on the door,” Clinard said. “This team is a little bit better putters as a group. I think they are fearless, and that’s the best quality you can have as a player. We’re going to let them run, let them play. I always say let the horses go, and we’ve got the skill to do that.”
Next up for the Tigers will be a home game as they will host the Tiger Intercollegiate at RTJ Grand National March 2-6.
“It’s great to have a home event, just to play in front of your donors. It’s a chance for fans to come out and see you play,” Clinard said. “It’s a big advantage, you know the golf course, and we get a chance to play everybody. A tournament setting beats qualifying, tournaments are a little bit different.”
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