Auburn, junior Jackson Koivun outlast a packed field to win The Hayt

It was a record-breaking day at the Sawgrass Country Club on March 9 and it might not be too long before some of the key players involved are across A1A playing for the big bucks of The Players Championship.

As it is, the second-ranked Auburn Tigers will be content with a hair-raising finish to win The Hayt, the University of North Florida’s annual invitational.

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With junior and two-time SEC Player of the Year Jackson Koivun posting a bogey-free 67 for his third victory in four starts and three teammates all shooting under-par rounds, the Tigers won the Hayt for the second time ever, at 28-under-par 836 to tie the team record for 54 holes held by Vanderbilt in 2023.

Auburn has won three team titles in its last four events and 29 since 2020.

Koivun won the individual title at 11-under 205, topping William Love of Duke (68) and Seb Cave of Charlotte (69) by one shot for his eighth collegiate victory. Ben James of Virginia (70) and Connor Graham of Texas Tech (70) tied for fourth at 9-under and a record 43 players broke par.

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Auburn’s Jake Albert (69–211) tied for 16th, Josiah Gilbert (69–212) tied for 20th and Logan Reilly (70–213) tied for 26th to enable the Tigers to nudge No. 11 Texas Tech by two shots. No. 21 Charlotte finished another two shots behind at 24 under and No. 23 LSU was 23-under.

Eleven of the 15 teams in the field finished under par. The previous best collective finish in the Hayt was in 2001 when five teams broke par.

Koivun, who has played in nine PGA Tour events as an amateur, with two top-10s, secured the victory when he birdied No. 18, while Love bogeyed Nos. 15 and 18 and Cave bogeyed Nos. 13 and 15.

Danny Erickson was the low player for the Ospreys with a 2-under 213 and a closing 68. He tied for 27th.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jackson Koivun wins third college event of 2026 to lead Auburn in The Hayt