By james art No. 2 ranked Auburn men’s golf travels to Eagles Point Golf Club in Wilmington, North Carolina this week to take on 12 universities in the Williams Cup Tournament hosted by the University of North Carolina.
The Tigers 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 recording an impressive eight under par. Gilbert has lived up to his preseason All-American status so far this season, winning the Valero Texas Collegiate Tournament last month as well as earning his second SEC Player of the Week honor this year following his final performance.
Gilbert’s Williams Cup performance was his second team top-three finish of the year.
Redshirt senior Carson Bacha finished tied for 10th as the only Auburn golfer to finish the tournament under par. Bacha, also a preseason All-American, earned his first top-10 finish of the season but remains top-five for the Tigers in major statistical categories such as rounds at or under par (four) and birdies (28 ).
Billy Davis, Jackson Koivun and Brendan Valdez all finished in the top 20 for the Tigers despite finishing under par for the tournament. The trio each had one round in which they wrestled, which were atypical outings for them.
Davis, who was the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2023 according to Golfweek/Sagarin and AJGA Polo, already has a top-five finish for the season and is second on the team in rounds at or under par (seven). Koivun, the 2023 National Player of the Year 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.
Valdez is one of the most decorated golfers in program history and is currently ranked the #1 golfer in the nation by PGA TOUR University as of October 23, 2024.
The Tigers’ next tournament is the East Lake Cup on October 28-30 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. Coverage will be on The Golf Channel and Peacock.
Do you like this story? Plainsman does not accept money from tuition or student fees, and we do not charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Charlie is a sophomore from Mendham, New Jersey. He is majoring in journalism and starting with The Plainsman in the spring of 2024.
Share and discuss “Auburn finishes third in Williams Cup, Gilbert named SEC of the week” on social media.