No. 2 Auburn men’s golf traveled to the Eagles Point Golf Club in Wilmington, NC this week to face off against 12 universities in the Williams Cup hosted by the University of North Carolina.
The Tigers have earned their No. 2 national ranking for the season, finishing third overall against the field — Auburn's fourth straight top-three finish of the season.
Josiah Gilbert, the sophomore from Queensland, Australia led the way for the Tigers in the Williams Cup, finishing third overall and shooting an impressive eight-under par. Gilbert has lived up to his preseason All-American status thus far this season, winning the Valero Texas Collegiate tournament last month, as well as earning his second SEC Player of the Week honors this year after his latest performance.
Gilbert’s performance in the Williams Cup was his team-leading second top-three finish of the year.
Redshirt senior Carson Bacha finished tied at 10th as the only other Auburn golfer to finish the tournament below par. Bacha, also a preseason All-American, earned his first top-10 finish of the season, but continues to be top-five for the Tigers in major statistical categories such as rounds at-or-below par (four) and birdies (28).
Billy Davis, Jackson Koivun, and Brendan Valdes all finished top-20 for the Tigers, despite finishing below par for the tournament. The trio each had one round in which they struggled, these being uncharacteristic outings for them.
Davis, who was the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class according to both Golfweek/Sagarin and AJGA Polo, already has a top-five finish under his belt on the season and is second on the team in rounds at-or-below par (seven). Koivun, the National Player of the Year in 2023 and All-American, is one of the most dominant players in golf and is tied with Gilbert for a team high six-under par, low 18 score.
Valdes is one of the most decorated golfers in program history and is currently ranked as the No. 1 golfer in the country according to PGA TOUR University as of October 23rd, 2024.
The Tigers next tournament is the East Lake Cup on October 28-30 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, GA. Coverage will be on The Golf Channel and Peacock.
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Charlie is a sophomore from Mendham, New Jersey. He is majoring in journalism and started with The Plainsman in spring 2024.
