PINEHURST, North Carolina – Auburn University swept both the team and individual titles at the inaugural PGA NCCGA (National Collegiate Club Golf Association) Pinehurst Open, held Dec. 6-7 on Pinehurst No. 6 and Pinehurst No. 9.
There were 27 college club teams from across the country competing in the frigid conditions.
Auburn entered the final round in fourth place and fired a tournament-best 370 on Pinehurst No. 9, which played to lower scores throughout the weekend. Auburn edged the University of Virginia, which finished second at 759 (374-385). Texas A&M placed third (760, 389-371), followed by the University of Tampa (763, 377-386) and Virginia Tech (764, 371-393). Virginia Tech held the Day One lead after posting a 371.
Auburn club president C.J. Sahlman, a senior who has been a member of the team since his freshman year, said the win reflects how far the team has come.
“We have come a long way,” Sahlman said. “We’ve faced challenges with money, funding and we were just disorganized. It just feels great to finally be in a good spot as a club. We have a great group of guys and this is just awesome.”
Tyler Cotton, a senior at Auburn, claimed the individual title and was the only player to shoot even par over 36 holes, posting rounds of 73–71 (144) after starting the day in seventh place. Three players tied for second at 145, including Indiana’s Tim Daugherty (72–73), Rutgers’ Brady Lewis (72–73) and Auburn’s Wes Sauceda (75–70). University of Mississippi’s George Arline rounded out the top five at 146 (72–74).
“I was just really fortunate, got some good kicks and never gave up.” said Cotton, “God certainly had a hand in some of those shots I hit for sure. I made a lot of good putts the first day and holed out for an eagle from 106, so that was a big part of it. I got out of position a couple of times but saved some good pars.”
The PGA NCCGA Pinehurst Open welcomes collegiate club teams of all skill levels. Entry is open to the first teams that register, provided they are active NCCGA clubs in good standing. Each team fields up to eight players, with the top five scores counting each day toward the 36-hole team total.
As the national governing body for collegiate club golf, the PGA NCCGA conducts multiple 36-hole events across 27 regions nationwide. All tournaments are co-ed and open to any full-time college student. Individuals may compete on behalf of their schools even if they cannot field a full team.