First SEC repeat winner in 49 years
SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Auburn sophomore Jackson Koivun became the first player to repeat as SEC Individual Champion in 49 years on Friday, birdieing five of his last six holes to win the conference crown by one stroke and send the No. 2 Tigers into match play as the top seed.
Auburn draws No. 3 Texas in the SEC Championship quarterfinal round at Seaside Golf Club. The Longhorns earned the No. 8 seed after a 6-under showing this week.
As a team, Auburn used a 12-under final round to shoot 38-under total and finish ahead of No. 7 LSU by nine strokes. The Tigers also set the tournament scoring record, which was previously set by the 2014 Alabama squad that went 34-under.
Koivun becomes the program’s seventh conference individual champion and the first to do so twice. He’s the first SEC golfer to repeat as the individual winner since Florida’s Phil Hancock in 1976.
“Jackson is just an elite competitor,” Tigers head coach Nick Clinard said. “He competes in everything he does back home. He’s always in the fight. He’s got no quit in him. I was wondering if that putter would wake up this week, and it sure did those last six holes. That made all the difference.”
The Chapel Hill, North Carolina native made the turn at 2-under. He bogeyed the par-4 11th, and then kicked it into overdrive, making birdie on 13, 14, 15, 17 and finally, 18 to seal the victory with a 64 (-6) for the 12-under final score. Koivun also shot 12-under with a trio of 66s (-4) to win the 2024 crown.
“I was definitely a little nervous over that final putt, but it was awesome to get it done again,” Koivun said. “I knew all the work I had put in would pay off. I just had to trust in myself.”
Auburn’s electric showing was aided by four other performances, all worthy of a top 20. Seniors Carson Bacha and Brendan Valdes each fired 67s (-3) on Friday to finish up at 9-under and 7-under, respectively. Bacha earned tied for third. Valdes finished tied for eighth.
Sophomore Cayden Pope finished tied for 16th in his postseason debut. He carded an even-par 70 in the third round to finish up at 4-under.
Jones Free was the top finisher for Alabama. Free tied for 16th place at 4-under 206. Alabama eased into the match play portion of the tournament by firing a 5-under 275 in the third round to tie Texas for seventh place. Alabama plays LSU in the quarterfinals.
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Featured image of Jackson Koivun courtesy of Auburn Athletics
