Men's Golf Finishes 8th At SEC Championship

St. Simon's Island, Ga.--No. 16 Auburn (286-888) advanced four spots to finish tied for eighth at the 2008 SEC Championship at the par-72, 7,217-yard Frederica Golf Club on St. Simon’s Island, Ga., Sunday.

Senior Jay Moseley (71-219) climbed four spots on the individual leader board in back-to-back days, finishing tied for 22nd. Junior Glenn Northcutt (70-222) jumped 12 spots to tie for 32nd, senior Patton Kizzire (74-225) finished 38th, senior Gordon Strother (74-226) tied for 41st and senior Jamie Bowen (71-227) tied for 47th.

“I am extremely pleased with the way we moved up four spots,” said head coach Mike Griffin. “The way we played today is what Auburn golf is.

"I am proud of our team effort in the way they came out today and played golf. However, when you shoot 12-over on the first nine holes of the tournament, you put yourself in a very tough position. There is a little bit better taste heading into the regional with the way we played today."

The Tigers’ final round 286, the fourth best team round of the day and a 15-stroke improvement on their two previous rounds of 301, sent Auburn up four spots on the team leader board, surpassing Arkansas, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. After counting five bogies through the first two rounds, Auburn did not card one Sunday.

Only once in Auburn’s 46 SEC Tournament appearances have the Tiger’s finished outside the top-8, placing 10th in 1964.

Moseley, whose birdie on No. 18 solidified the Auburn tie for eighth, has led the Tigers in seven of the team’s last eight tournaments.

No. 2 Alabama (275-853) took first place, followed by No. 14 South Carolina (278-861), No. 1 Georgia (281-862), No. 7 Florida (290-872), Mississippi State (293-878), No. 9 Tennessee (298-881), Ole Miss (296-884), Auburn, LSU (299-888), Vanderbilt (298-890), Kentucky (295-893) and Arkansas (297-897).

Alabama’s Michael Thompson (65-208) carded the only 7-under round of the tournament to claim the title, followed by South Carolina’s George Bryan IV (69-212) and Alabama’s Joseph Sykora (71-212).

The Tigers return to action May 15-17 in the NCAA Regional. Live scoring will be available via Golfstat (www.golfstat.com).