OPELIKA, Ala. – The Troy men’s golf fired a 10-under 278 in the final round of the Tiger Invitational Monday afternoon and put a scare into host and No. 23 Auburn for the second straight year at the event.

The Trojans, who flirted with back-to-back championships, finished second overall with a pair of victories over top 50 teams and 11 wins over top 100 competition.

Troy entered the final round in fifth place and 11 shots back of Auburn after the Trojans were tied for 11th place following the opening round.

Led by Cam Norman’s 4-under 68, three Trojans shot under par on the day, while another finished even for the final round.

Troy and Auburn battled back-and-forth over most of the final round, with Troy grabbing a two-stroke lead at one point midway through the round. The Tigers eventually claimed a five-shot victory over the Trojans.

The Trojans combined to card 22 birdies and three eagles on the day as their 10-under tied with Missouri for the lowest round of the tournament. Troy led the field with four eagles over the course of the tournament, while the Trojans’ 61 birdies were the second most over the three rounds.

Norman tied for sixth place overall at 6-under for the tournament, while Jared Bettcherclimbed 17 spots into a tie for 16th place at 1-under after carding a 3-under 69 on Monday. Calum Masters tied for 21st place after shooting 1-over for the tournament and even par on the day.

Clayton Vannoy jumped 26 spots into a tie for 26th after shooting 3-under on the day and Luke Moser rounded out the field for the Trojans in a tie for 54th place after shooting a 78 on Monday.

Up Next

The Trojans travel to Tallahassee, Fla., this weekend for the Seminole Intercollegiate hosted by Florida State at the Southwood Golf Club. Troy shot a school-record 16-under 272 (par 72 course) during the second round of the same event last year.

Notable

• Cam Norman’s 4-under 68 in the final round was his team-leading third round in the 60s this season. Norman became the second Trojan to earn a top-10 finish this season; Clayton Vannoy had a pair of top-10 finishes in the fall.

• Troy’s 10-under 278 in the final round was its lowest round of the season; the previous low was a 7-under in the third round of the AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic.

• Troy improves to 57-35-2 on the season and now has a plus-stroke differential (+2) against No. 41 Kennesaw State.

Team Standings

1. Auburn 279-288-284—851, 2. Troy 291-287-278—856, 3. Missouri 280-299-278—857, 4. Kennesaw State 287-296-284—867, 5. Georgia State 290-284-294—868, T6. Charlotte 289-295-285—869, T6. UNC Wilmington 288-285-296—869, 8. Arkansas State 287-290-293—870, 9. South Alabama 283-299-289—871, 10. Mississippi State 291-294-287—872, 11. Minnesota 293-287-293—873, 12. Louisville 287-293-296—876, 13. West Virginia 295-289-293—877, 14. Kansas State 290-297-291—878, T15. Maryland 296-288-298—882, T15. James Madison 295-291-296—882, 17. UNC Greensboro 297-299-300—896, 18. Davidson 293-308-305—906, 19. Samford 305-316-297—918

Individual Leaders

1. Thomas Eldridge (UNCW) 69-66-68—203, 2. Zan Luka Stim (Arkansas State) 66-68-72—206, 3. Justin Doeden (Minnesota) 67-70-71—208, T4. Trace Crowe (Auburn) 67-72-70—209, T4. Roland Massimino (Kansas State) 67-71-71—209

Troy Individuals

T6. Cam Norman 70-72-68—210, T16. Jared Bettcher 75-71-69—215, T21. Calum Masters 74-71-72—217, T26. Clayton Vannoy 75-74-69—218, T54. Luke Moser 72-73-78—223