John Marshall Butler had only been on the golf team at Auburn University for a week when he pulled aside the coach, Nick Clinard, and told him: “my goal is to win the NCAA Nationals”. Just two years later he has kept his word, also scoring the decisive point in the grand final against Florida State held this Wednesday. It is the first time in history that Auburn has won the most important title in US college golf, which adds even more merit and epic to Butler’s prediction.
“If you’re playing the decisive point in a final, I can’t think of a better player to do it than Butler,” Clinard said a few minutes after achieving a victory that already places him in the Auburn Olympus. They have not been the best team this year, their players are not among the best in the world, Butler, in fact, is Number 38 in the world amateur ranking, but they have something very special when they play in match play.
The numbers are staggering. They are undefeated this year in this format. They won the SEC Championship, they won the Regionals and now they have won the Nationals. A timeless hat trick.
Butler has a huge personality. He has not been behind at any time in any of the matches he has played this week. He is tough and it is not surprising what his coach says. “When he’s not on the golf course, it’s very common to see him alone in the stands of Jordan Hare, Auburn’s American football stadium with a capacity for 90,000 spectators, going up and down stairs,” he explains.
The decisive point, which served for Auburn to win 3-2 on the Omni La Costa course in Carlsbad, California, he won against Luke Clanton, the number one university student in the United States in 2024. He was always ahead in the match and resolved it in the 17 by 2 and 1. “The only time I’ve been nervous is when my teammates started to shake me in the celebration,” he proudly commented.
The results of the final battle were as follows:
- Cole Anderson (FSU) defeats Carson Bacha (Auburn), 1 up
- Tyler Weaver (FSU) defeats Josiah Gilbert (Auburn), 2 and 1
- Jackson Koivun (Auburn) defeats Brett Roberts (FSU), 5 and 4
- Brendan Valdes (Auburn) defeats Frederik Kjettrup (FSU), 4 and 3
- JM Butler (Auburn) defeats Luke Clanton (FSU), 2 and 1
