– The No. 12 Florida State men’s golf team fell to No. 2 Auburn in a close 3-1 battle in the semifinals of the East Lake Cup on Tuesday at the East Lake Club.
 
“That was a great match between two very good golf teams,” FSU head coach Trey Jones said. “We gained some valuable experience for our players that will help us when it counts late in the season.”
 
A rematch of the 2024 NCAA National Championship, the Seminoles and Tigers battled to the wire. The Tigers put the first two points on the board after Patrick McCann fell in his match 5&4 and Jack Bigham dropped his 3&1.
 
The third match pitted the top two amateurs in the world against each other.  The No. 1 player, Luke Clanton carded an eagle on the first hole to take the early lead. Up one, the two birdied holes six and seven before Clanton went up two behind his third birdie in a row.
 

The back-and-forth contest continued on the back nine, but Clanton put No. 2 Jackson Kouvin away after sinking a putt for birdie on the 16th hole. Clanton put the Seminoles on the board, trailing 2-1 behind a 3&2 victory.
 
“I think this one was definitely the biggest match I’ve had yet,” Clanton said. “Me and Jackson have had one heck of a year and a half I guess you could say. It’s been awesome competing against him, and to finally play against him in match play was awesome. I think match play goes either way, especially as the top two players in the world. It was awesome, but it meant a lot.”
 
Carson Brewer put the pressure on, pulling within one on the 16th hole after making par after his opponent bogied.   However, the Tigers put away the match after Brewer was just shy of a birdie putt on 17.
 
Tyler Weaver was up one with two to play whenever the match was called.
 
The Seminoles will face Ohio State in the consolation match on Wednesday, starting at 10:50 a.m.
 
Coverage will air on the Golf Channel at 3 p.m. on Tuesday. Live scoring will be available.
 
 
East Lake Cup Individual Scores
T4. Luke Clanton – 69
T4. Tyler Weaver – 69
T4. Patrick McCann – 69
T13. Jack Bigham – 74
T15. Carson Brewer – 75
 
Team Scores
No. 11 Georgia Tech – 8
No. 12 Florida State – 7
No. 2 Auburn – 7
Ohio State +2
 
Nov. 12 FSU vs. No. 2 Auburn
Auburn Won 3-1
Ryan Eshleman (Auburn) def. Patrick McCann (FSU) 5&4
Brendan Valdea (Auburn) def. Jack Bigham (FSU) 3&1
Luke Clanton (FSU) def. Jackson Koivun (Auburn) 3&2
Josiah Gilbert (Auburn) def. Carson Brewer (FSU) 2&1
Tyler Weaver (FSU) Up 1 with two to play over Carson Bacha (Auburn)
 
For more information on Florida State men’s golf, visit Instagram (fsumensgolf), X (FSUGolf) and Facebook (FSUMensGolf).