The Tigers defeated the No. 11 Yellow Jackets 3-2 in the final match to secure the 2024 East Lake Championship. The close victory was made possible by great play from Ryan Eshleman, Carson Bacha and Jackson Koivun.
Eshleman helped start the Tigers off right with a win from the leadoff position. He came back from down two to Aidan Tran on hole six, winning the next three consecutive holes. Eshleman was able to close out the match in the eighteenth hole with a tie, not losing his lead after the ninth.
“It was all about ending the fall the right way and getting a win,” Eshleman said. “I felt that I was playing some good golf coming into the week, but I was just going to do whatever it took to get my team a point and set us up for a team victory.”
Georgia Tech was able to tie it up, but Bacha looked to put a stop to the Yellow Jackets’ momentum. Bacha defeated Kale Fontenot, securing Auburn’s second match of the point. Bacha birdied on the last two holes denying Fontenot of a comeback after tying the match on hole 16. Bacha held the lead for 17 of the 18 holes and claimed a two-up win.
The Yellow Jackets once again scored a point, making the tournament come down to the wire. It was now down to the reigning National Player of the Year, Jackson Koivun, to lead the Tigers to victory.
Koivun faced off against Hiroshi Tai, the reigning NCAA Individual Champion, setting up the grand finale to the East Lake tournament. Tai started off with a one-point advantage for the first three holes. Koivun was able to even out the score come the fourth hole, and the two both were even for six of the seven holes. The eleventh hole marked the turning point in the match, where Tai Bogeyed and could not keep up with Koivun the remainder of the match. Koivun parred for the title-winning point on 17, defeating Tai two and one.
“It felt great to come out on top as a team,” Koivun said. “We knew we left some wins out there this fall. There were some moments we couldn’t capitalize on, but we did this week. It feels great and gives us some good momentum and motivation to take into the spring.”
The East Lake tour came down to the final moments in an unforgettable dual as the Tigers came to play against an impressive Georgia Tech team. The two went back in forth, but the Tigers were able to secure the championship and remain one of the top teams in the NCAA as a result of great play as a team.
“I learned that we have a lot of heart, and we’ve got a lot of guts, and we’ve got some guys that can flat-out play,” Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said. “We had a reset after the spring and the national championship, but they’re still highly motivated. We feel good about our guys. We’ve got a lot of depth at home. They all appreciate each other and challenge each other. I’m just super proud of them.”
The Tigers will return to action as they head to Waikoloa, Hawai’i in February of 2025 at the Amer Ari Invitational.
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Tyler Cox is a sophomore from Atlanta majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in fall 2023.
