Brandon Mancheno (2nd from right) and the victorious Auburn Tigers (Auburn photo)
OPELIKA, Ala. (February 26, 2019) - Last spring,
Brandon Mancheno was on the cusp of a major breakthrough, heading to a playoff with Broc Everett of Augusta University for the NCAA Championship at Karsten Creek in Oklahoma.
But the Auburn freshman watched as Everett rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole to claim the title.
Today at Grand National in Alabama, Mancheno once again found himself in a playoff in his school's home tournament, the Tiger Invitational presented by Jason Dufner. This time, however, it was Mancheno with the clutch finish, rolling in a 10-foot par putt to defeat Wyatt Larkin of Kennesaw State.
Both players finished at 4-under 212, with Larkin posting a 69 and waiting as Mancheno birdied the 17th and parred the 18th for a 70 to force the tie.
Mancheno's win gave Auburn a sweep of the titles, with the Tigers posting a 10-shot win over SMU. Trace Crowe was the low scorer for Auburn with a 67 that included four birdies on his final seven holes. Graysen Huff added a 70 and British Amateur champion Jovan Rebula shot a 73 for a team total of 280 and a three-round total of 11-under 853.
McClure Meissner and former U.S. Junior champion Noah Goodwin finished strong for SMU, closing with rounds of 67 and 68, respectively. Each finished tied for third, just one shot out of the playoff.
Two other players narrowly missed out on the playoff: Guillaume Fanonnel of Louisiana-Monroe who birdied 16 and 17 before bogeying the 18th to fall just one short, and second-round leader Josh Edgar of Georgia State, who faded with a 75.
South Alabama, Arkansas State, and Kennesaw State rounded out the top five in the team competition.
ABOUT THE
Tiger Invitational
54 hole men's collegiate golf tournament hosted by
Auburn University. Team (best four scores out of five
players each round) and individual competitions.
View Complete Tournament Information