Coming off its first SEC title since 2002, Auburn picked up right where it left off as the Tigers finished fourth at the Norman regional to advance to the NCAA Championships for the seventh consecutive season. Auburn is one of just four teams to accomplish that feat.
The Tigers finished at 3-under, 11 shots behind host Oklahoma, which won by one shot over BYU. North Florida shot 8-under in Wednesday’s final round to finish in a tie for second, while Arkansas also carded a final round of 8-under to finish tied for fourth with Auburn.
“I’m really proud of our guys,” head coach Nick Clinard said. “They really hung in there. We didn’t have our best stuff this week. We weren’t the best physically, but the guys persevered mentally all week and I’m just really proud of them.”
With only the top five teams advancing, Auburn was outside the cutline early on the back nine Wednesday, but freshman Brandon Mancheno kept Auburn in fourth place for good with a birdie on the 18thhole.
Mancheno led the way for the Tigers, carding a bogey-free 69 Wednesday. Jovan Rebula and Wells Padgett struggled, shooting 76 and 75 respectively, while Ben Schlottman and Trace Crowe each shot 72.
Auburn will look to improve on its 11th place showing from a year ago when the NCAA Championships begin May 25 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
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