AWENDAW, S.C. -- Behind final-round 6-under 66s out of both Niclas Carlsson and Matt Gilchrest, No. 23 Auburn secured its third tournament win of the year, claiming the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate by three strokes better than runner-up No. 24 South Carolina.
"The guys played great and it was a team effort this week," Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said. "Niclas and Matt really hung tough at the end today and I'm very proud of them and the team. They work diligently each week and it's nice to see them have so much success."
Carlsson shot 70-73-66--209 to finish in a tie for first with Ben Stow of Kentucky. His final round was bogey free, as was his first round, and he finished the tournament with 11 birdies, six of them in Tuesday's final round.
Gilchrest finished one stroke behind Carlsson with a 71-73-66--210 to finish tied for third. His final round included three consecutive birdies on the second through fourth holes and again on the 15th through 17th holes, part of a seven-birdie round.
Will Long finished tied for 20th after a final-round 70. He shot 73-74-70--217 to finish the tournament 1-over. Jake Mondy tied for 28th after a 72-74-74--220 (plus-4) and Daniel Stringfellow tied for 35th (72-79-71--222, 6-over).
Auburn finished the tournament at 15-under, shooting 285-294-723--852 while South Carolina shot 281-298-276--855. Rounding out the top five was College of Charleston (282-297-278--857), No. 10 Virginia (283-295-280--858) and Wake Forest (282-299-284--865).
Stow defeated Carlsson in at playoff to win the individual title.
The tournament victory was the 14th for Auburn under the direction of Clinard and the third of this spring season.
