FORT WORTH, Texas — The No. 1 Auburn men’s golf team finished second at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational, five strokes behind Alabama. The 54-hole, three-round tournament began Monday with Auburn playing 36 holes before the final round Tuesday.
The Tigers and Tide led the tournament through the first day, with Auburn holding a two-stroke lead after 36 holes. Junior Billy Davis led the Tigers in their first two rounds, shooting a 67-69 to finish the first day at 4 under. William Jennings led Alabama with a 66, 4 under par, in the opening round.
Alabama’s Jennings was a standout for his team, shooting a season-best 66 with an eagle on the 18th hole.
Moving into the second day and final round, Auburn led the competition by two strokes. However, the Tide finished at even par to win the team title, five strokes ahead of Auburn at 5-over 845.
Davis once again led Auburn, shooting a 73, to finish the tournament at 1-under 209, tying for sixth individually. Cayden Pope was Auburn’s second-highest finisher, tying for ninth at 1-over 211. Josiah Gilbert tied for 20th at 4-over 214, while Logan Reilly tied for 32nd at 7-over 217. Alex Holder tied for 58th at 11-over 221. The Tide was led by Jennings and Nick Gross, who tied for third overall, finishing the two-day event at 2-under 208.
Auburn’s depth was certainly tested throughout match play as they faced stiff competition in the tournament featuring 14 teams ranked in the top 25. Although the finish was not ideal, the Tigers still enter the season with expectations following their most recent National Title win in 2026, as well as a win in 2024, both under coach Nick Clinard.
However, they are missing one of the team's most distinguished members: Jackson Koivun.
Koivun helped lead the Tigers to their recent titles before joining the PGA Tour in June. Now, the spotlight has moved onto Davis.
With Davis’ top-10 finish, the team looks forward to seeing his and his teammates’ growth throughout the rest of the season.
The Tigers will have a couple of weeks to rest and keep training as they set their sights on the Williams Cup. The tournament will be played at Eagle Point Golf Club Oct. 18-20.
