March 10, 2009
SORRENTO, Fla. - Auburn's Candace Schepperle fired a 4-under-par 68 in the final round of the Central Florida Challenge on Tuesday, boosting herself from a tie for 17th to a top-five finish at the three-day tournament while leading the No. 8-ranked Tigers to fifth place with a 10-over-par 874.
Hosted by Central Florida, the UCF Challenge was a 54-hole tournament played at the par-72, 6,301-yard Red Tail Golf Club. The three-day tournament featured 13 teams ranked in the GolfWeek top-25, including No. 1-ranked Arizona State.
Schepperle carded the second-best round of the day, behind medalist Stephanie Kono of UCLA with her 66, as she finished with a 68 for a three-day total of 5-under 211. The round marked her fifth of the season so far in the 60s.
"Candace played really, really solid this week," said Auburn head coach Kim Evans. "There were just a couple holes in this tournament that kept her from winning the whole thing. She is the best player in the country and I am so proud of how she played."
Schepperle finished in a tie for fourth with UCLA's Glory Yang, and was just three shots out of first place and Kono's 8-under 208.
She was also the first of three Tigers to finish in the top 30 of the 96-player field, followed by sophomore Cydney Clanton in a tie for 21st and freshman Haley Wilson in a tie for 28th.
"Cydney had a better tournament than the score showed. She hit some tough spots, but really got back on track and finished well," said Evans. "I'm also really proud of how Haley Wilson played. She really played a nice round today and was tough for us all week."
Clanton finished the tournament with a final-round 73 to come in at 1-over-par 217 for the three days. Wilson was only two strokes behind her, putting together a 2-over 74 for a 54-hole total of 3-over-par 219. Wilson is playing in just her second tournament as part of the Auburn women's golf team after joining in January.
Rounding out the Auburn lineup was freshman Patricia Sanz and senior Mariana Macias. Sanz carded a 3-over 75 on Tuesday to finish the tournament at 11-over-par 227, placing in a tie for 61st. Macias put together her best round of the tournament as she came into the clubhouse with a 5-over 77, tallying a three-day total of 25-over 214 to finish in a tie for 90th.
Also competing this week was sophomore Sarah Thead, playing as an individual in the tournament. Thead posted a final-round 78 to finish 87th overall with a 22-over-par 238.
The final round was not an easy one for the Tigers as the team struggled on the first few holes, falling as far as eighth place. But, Auburn was able to recover and hold on to fifth place in the final standings.
"We got off to a very slow start, but they started playing and played the last 12 to 13 holes really well," said Evans. "This is an incredible field, a championship-caliber field, and though we are not yet where I would like to be, I will take it."
UCLA won the team title, lead by medalist Kono, with a 14-under-par 850. Arizona State, the top team in the nation, finished second with a 7-uner 857 while Oklahoma State claimed third with a 3-under 861. Southern California followed in fourth place with an 8-over-par 872 with Auburn rounding out the top five at 10-over 874.
Schepperle tallied her sixth top-five finish of the season, coming in only three strokes behind Kono and her 8-under 208. Florida's Jessica Yadloczky, who led coming into the final round, finished second with a 7-under 209, followed by Duke's Jennie Lee and her 6-under 210. Schepperle finished in a tie with UCLA's Yang to round out the top five.
Auburn will return to action March 27-29 at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, hosted by the University of Georgia at the UGA Golf Course in Athens, Ga.