AP

Auburn student wins car in a long-putt contest at Bama game

Feb 11, 2023, 3:38 AM | Updated: 5:40 pm

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl walks off the court after Auburn lost to Alabama in an NCAA college b...

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl walks off the court after Auburn lost to Alabama in an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

(AP Photo/Butch Dill)


              Alabama center Charles Bediako (14) is fouled by Auburn guard K.D. Johnson (0) as he goes up for a shot with center Dylan Cardwell (44) defending during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
            
              Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl walks off the court after Auburn lost to Alabama in an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — In a game where Auburn struggled with its 3-point accuracy, the best long shot of the afternoon by far belonged to a student in the stands.

During a timeout in the second half of the game against No. 3 Alabama on Saturday, sophomore Craig Noyes made a full-court, 94-foot putt to win a new car.

Not bad for someone who said he’s not a golfer.

“Honestly, my main goal was just not to whiff or shank it into the bench,” Noyes told The Associated Press.

“It was so loud when I stepped up to the ball. Once I hit it, I completely zoned out. I couldn’t hear anyone,” he said. “It wasn’t until the announcer put a hand on my shoulder and said I’d won a car that I believed it.”

The sold-out crowd at Neville Arena erupted when he became the first person to win the contest since 2014. Noyes, who writes for the student-run paper The Auburn Plainsman, high-fived fans in celebration.

Noyes went baseline-to-baseline with his winning putt, rolling the ball through a small hole in a poster at the opposite end to win a car in the contest sponsored by a local Toyota dealership.

The 20-year-old Noyes, from Kensington, Maryland, said he and some friends camped outside the arena for about 24 hours to get prime seats for the game against the in-state rival Crimson Tide. Around halftime, he was randomly picked as the day’s contestant to shoot during an under-12 TV timeout.

“I was in the tunnel for about 15 minutes, swinging the club and trying to stay loose and relaxed,” he said. “I was so nervous.”

Noyes instantly heard from a lot of people after the winning shot, saying his phone ran out of juice on the way back to his campus house.

Auburn players, meanwhile, weren’t nearly as successful from long distance. The Tigers made just 7 of 24 shots from 3-point range in a 77-69 loss to Alabama.

Noyes, by the way, said he didn’t own a car. But thanks to a lucky putter, he’ll soon be a driver.

___

AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Auburn student wins car in a long-putt contest at Bama game