May 8, 2008
Athens, Ga. - The No. 10 Auburn women's golf team opened NCAA East Regional play shooting 8-over 296 and are tied for sixth with No. 20 Virginia. Freshman Cydney Clanton led the Tigers, firing 2-under 70 and is tied for fifth.
"We had a real solid start and fell a little on number 9, our last hole," head coach Kim Evans said. "Cydney Clanton was really on today. It was a solid start with a good look at tomorrow."
Clanton started her first collegiate regional off well. After opening with a bogey on 10, Clanton pulled back to even with a birdie on 14. An eagle on 18 capped off a strong back nine and Clanton found herself at 2-under. Clanton fired two more birdies on two and seven and was 4-under with two holes remaining before doubling on nine.
Sophomore Candace Schepperle also excelled on the back nine, finishing at 1-under. Schepperle doubled on two and bogeyed on three and five to move to 3-over, but got improved to 2-over with a birdie on five. She completed the day 2-over 74 after going even the four remaining holes. Schepperle is tied for 23rd.
Senior Margaret Shirley tallied just one bogey on the back nine and went even par for 11 holes, before bogey's on five and nine put her at 3-over 75 for the day. Shirley is tied for 31st.
Junior Mariana Macias and freshman Sarah Thead, both of which are competing in their first regional, shot 5-over 77 and are tied for 52nd. Thead was even through 15 before trading birdie and bogey's for the next four holes. Three more bogeys and a double were the difference on the front nine.
No. 1 Duke leads the team race after shooting 3-under 285. No. 5 Florida is in second at 2-over 290, followed by No. 32 South Carolina (291), No. 35 Furman (292) and No. 31 Louisville (293). Host and No. 8 Georgia is ninth (299).
Louisville's Sara-Maude Juneau is leading the individual field after firing 5-under 67. Duke's Amanda Blumenherst and South Carolina's Benedicte Toumpsin are tied for second at 4-under 68.
Auburn will tee off Friday at 1:20 p.m. ET with Tennessee and Wake Forest. Live stats will be available on www.golfstat.com.