ATLANTA, Ga. — Auburn men’s golf defended its national championship pedigree at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, taking down three of last year’s NCAA semifinalists and winning the East Lake Cup in both stroke play and match play.
Auburn’s Logan Reilly was a star for Auburn, taking over the weekend at East Lake. He shot his best collegiate round in the stroke play section on Monday, 7 under par, and shared the individual title. The win marked his first title of his Auburn career.
Reilly was on fire on the front nine, opening with a birdie and later making four birdies in a row between four pars for a 31. His back nine closed with three birdies and a bogey, finishing 7-under 65.
“Logan played beautifully today,” head coach Nick Clinard said. “He hit a lot of great shots and was in complete control of his game. I’m really proud of him for getting his first collegiate win at the East Lake Cup.”
As a team, Auburn finished first in stroke play at 13 under and faced Arizona in the semifinals of the match play portion of the tournament on Tuesday.
The Tigers jumped on the Wildcats early and never looked back, with Auburn winning the first four matches.
Auburn’s Jake Albert held off William Wistrand in the opening match, winning 1 up. Reilly continued his dominance, with a 3 and 2 beatdown of Matěj Bača. Clinard had a lot of praise for his two star sophomores after the match.
“These two guys were a combined 6-0-0 last year during the national championship run and picked up where they left off,” Clinard said. “They are just fearless. They want to win and are very competitive and have a lot of talent and skill.”
Auburn’s Josiah Gilbert finished off Jorge Sampedro on hole 17, 2 and 1 while Billy Davis also earned an Auburn point, 2 up. Auburn advanced to the finals, 4-1 over Arizona.
Auburn’s opponent in the finals on Wednesday was a familiar one: Oklahoma State, which Auburn beat in the semifinals of the NCAA Championships this past spring. The Cowboys are also the only other team, besides the Tigers, to win the national title in the last three seasons.
Albert was sent out first for Auburn again, but this time struggled with Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson, who scored seven birdies for Oklahoma State and took the first point, 2 and 1.
Auburn's real spearhead came in the final three matches, as Gilbert, Reilly, and Cayden Pope all outplayed their matchups to secure a Tigers win.
Gilbert played steady golf all day, letting Gaven Lane make mistakes and taking the point for Auburn on the 15th green with a 4 and 3. Reilly took care of last year’s NCAA individual champion Preston Stout, heating up like he did Monday and finding seven birdies to put the champ away, 3 and 2.
“I just kept playing my game,” Reilly said. “I just wanted to keep myself in the fairway to give myself a chance to win holes, and I did that today. Made some good putts and was able to get the win.”
Pope also anchored the match by playing steady, taking his opportunities, and winning 4 and 2. Davis once again earned a point with a 1 up win in the second match out.
Auburn won the match and the East Lake Cup, 4-1 over Oklahoma State.
The Tigers earned their third East Lake Cup title after winning both in 2018 and 2024. Auburn showed why it's a top team in the country and how well its golfers thrive under pressure against great players.
Auburn men’s golf returns to the course for the final time this fall season this weekend in Loxley, Alabama, where they’ll take on tough competition, including 12th-ranked Texas A&M and 13th-ranked Georgia Tech, at the Steelwood Collegiate. The tournament will take place Oct. 31 to Nov. 1.
