Following a heartbreaking loss in the quarterfinals of the 2025 NCAA Championship, the Auburn Tigers are set to begin a new season and attempt another climb back to the top of the college golf world. The Tigers' 2025-26 campaign will tee off with the Invitational at The Honors Course on September 14-16.
This year's invitational is the inaugural debut at The Honors Course in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but the course is no stranger to prestigious golf events. The U.S. Senior Amateur, NCAA Championship, and Curtis Cup have all found the club to be home in prior years.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will take role as the host school, and the list of other schools in attendance besides Auburn includes Charleston, Clemson, Duke, Marquette, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Pepperdine, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Virginia.
Fans can expect an entertaining tournament next week as all the schools invited to compete received a playoff berth in their 2024-25 seasons, besides Chattanooga and Clemson, who had an individual represent their respective schools.
Auburn has high hopes of making another deep playoff run as the team has reached the postseason 12 times in its last 13 seasons under head coach Nick Clinar. The Tigers also return five golfers from last year’s impressive season and welcome three impressive freshmen, leading the Tigers to the third-best recruiting class in the nation per USA Today.
Incoming freshman Logan Reilly has been showcased in the top five for his class recruiting rankings by numerous polls after a standout 2024 season. Reilly stood atop the podium at the 2024 Virginia Men’s Amateur and also finished in the top 5 at the 2024 AJGA Juniors Players Championship.
Highlighting Auburn’s returning class is Jackson Koivun, who has already built an impressive career while on the Plains and in professional events during the college offseason. The prominent star has been named the SEC Player of the Year in each of his first two seasons and even had the opportunity to represent his country once again at the 2025 Walker Cup. Koivun was responsible for three of the US points and helped lead his American team to another victory.
In addition to his stellar performance in Pebble Beach the previous week, Koivun recorded two top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour over the summer as an amateur. Koivun will continue to compete with the pros this weekend as he tees it up at the Procore Championship.
Another returner, Josiah Gilbert, spoke on how the team feels heading into the start of their season.
"We're ready to go. We had a little bit of a longer break from the start of school to the tournament," said Gilbert. "So I think we're all chomping at the bit, a little bit ready to get going. So it'll be fun."
Auburn opens its 2025 season on Monday for rounds 1 and 2 of the invitational, with Tuesday’s final round closing out the 54-hole tournament.
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Will is a sophomore majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @willdembo
