Oct. 29, 2006
AUBURN Ala. - The fifth-ranked Auburn Tigers ran away with their second straight Derby Invitational on Sunday, coming from second place at the start of the round to win the tournament by 12 strokes. Marisa Milligan, who was designated as an individual before the tournament, took individual honors after shooting a 1-under par 71 in the final round to finish at 1-over for the tournament.
"We got off to a slow start yesterday, but we were able to finally break through today," Auburn coach Kim Evans said. "We have been toying with the idea of winning for most of the fall and we finally did today. I'm very excited for Marisa (Milligan). She played a great round today."
Milligan (74-71--145) won by a single stroke, edging out teammate Nicole Hage and North Carolina's Lauren Hunt with a birdie on her 17th hole of the day.
"I felt that after playing so well yesterday that I could shoot under par today," Milligan said. "I thought I had a chance to win coming to my last few holes, but I tried not to put too much pressure on myself."
Hage also shot under par on the day, carding a 2-under 70 to go with her first round 76. She improved from twelfth place to tie for second at 2-over as a result. Margaret Shirley led the field most of the final day, but finished with a 3-over 75 to place in a tie for fourth. Abigale Schepperle improved eight strokes from her first round, shooting a 1-under 71 to finish tied for 11th place at 6-over. Candace Schepperle finished the tournament at 8-over to finish tied for 17th place, while Jessica Lovell turned in a 77 on Sunday to finish at 11-over and tied for 34th place.
The Tigers' other individual, Mariana Macias, improved drastically on her first round 83, carding a 2-over 74 to finish at 13-over in 47th place. Auburn (303-291--594) caught North Carolina early in the round and then pulled away on its final nine holes. Alabama (308-298--606), LSU (305-305--610), Tennessee (309-299--608) and North Carolina (301-308--609) all held second place at one point, but the Tigers played well enough to keep them at a safe distance for most of the afternoon. Alabama finished in second place, Tennessee took third and North Carolina finished fourth. Florida (313-297--610), LSU and South Carolina (311-299--610) tied for fifth place on the team leaderboard.
The Tigers return to the links on Nov. 3-5, at the Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Fla., for the Hooters Collegiate Match Play.