‘One hell of a ride’: Auburn men’s golf cherishes its national championship run
Here are notes and quotes from the Tigers after they cemented their NCAA Championship win.
It was only about three and half feet for Logan Reilly.
It was just a little more than a tap-in. The ball rolled in quick. He knew it was good coming off the putter, and stepped toward the cup to get ready to grab it before it even went in.
Simple putt.
But for the freshman, it was one to remember for a lifetime.
Reilly clinched Auburn’s national championship win on Wednesday in Carlsbad, Calif., with that putt, making par to win the hole and break a tie in his match on No. 18 — and put Auburn’s third, decisive point on the board.
Moments earlier, Jackson Koivun won his matchup 4&3 — by going up four holes with just three left to play. Before that, freshman Jake Albert finished his match first 5&3. Auburn only needed to win three out of five in the match play final with UCLA.
A few holes back, Cayden Pope was on the verge of another win, leading by four holes with only four left to play.
It could have been any of them that closed it out, really, but it was Reilly. And, later, after the NCAA Championship trophy was presented to head coach Nick Clinard on the Golf Channel broadcast, he turned and gave it to the two freshmen to lift over their heads together: Reilly and Albert.
While the juniors were part of Auburn’s other championship in 2024, the new freshmen put their own imprint on this one, and made it unique — and they just may be the key to getting Auburn back to this position again in the future.
“It’s been so much fun this year with these guys, especially the freshmen,” Koivun said on the Golf Channel broadcast. “They’ve been working their tails off and obviously it showed this week. So I’m more than happy for me and my team. War Eagle.”
Yes, for now, it’s a celebration for Auburn men’s golf. After Reilly’s putt went in, teammates marched on to the green with him to slap hands and celebrate.
Back home, they rolled Toomer’s Corner.
“I mean, this is a dream come true,” Reilly said. “This is the craziest feeling I’ve ever had, for sure. To do it with all these guys and all these fans out here — I mean, this is the best feeling I’ve ever had, for sure. And to be able to do it with all my best friends and coaches, it means the world.”
Auburn’s team has been special all season, rising to No. 1 in the national rankings back in early March with a win over a stacked field at The Hayt, and it’s held that top spot ever since. The Tigers played exceptionally well at the NCAA Championship, leading stroke play nearly wire to wire to take the top seed into match play.
In match play, Auburn beat a storied program in Stanford in the quarterfinals before besting powerhouse Oklahoma State in the semifinals, then fending off upset-minded UCLA in the finals. Koivun, Auburn’s all-timer, the world’s No. 1 amateur, led the way and raised the bar — but it took team golf to win the title.
“I’m just so damn proud of these guys and how hard they work,” Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said on the broadcast. “We coach for the national championship. I tell them that in August. And I just love them. I care about them. We have incredible culture. And, man: War Eagle. That’s all I can say.”
Here’s a deeper look at how the Tigers got it done, and what they had to say: