April 6, 2009
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Four Tigers finished the day in the top 25 as the No. 7 Auburn women's golf team finished 36 holes of the SunTrust Lady Gator Invitational in fourth place with a 51-over-par 611. The Tigers are eight strokes out of first place, a spot currently held by Duke and Alabama at 43-over 603.
Teams played 36 holes Monday at the 37th Annual SunTrust Lady Gator Invitational, leading into Tuesday's final round. The tournament is taking place at the par-70, 5,954-yard Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida.
"We had some very consistent play out on the golf course today and that is one of the things we have been focusing on at this point in the season," said Auburn head coach Kim Evans. "Everyone got involved today and contributed to the team, which is great to see because you need your whole lineup able to score."
The course played tough Monday with no one posting a score below par. Through 36 holes of play, only two scores have come in at even-par and the average score is 79.01.
"This is a tough golf course. It is not very long, but it forces you to make shots and be smart with your ball placement," said Evans.
Sophomore Cydney Clanton and junior Candace Schepperle led the Tigers through the first two rounds, carding 12-over-par 152s to enter the final round in a tie for 14th. Clanton went 77-75--152 in the first two rounds while Schepperle posted rounds of 73-79--152.
Auburn was the only team in the 16-team field to place four players in the top 25 as freshmen Patricia Sanz and Haley Wilson each posted 14-over 154 to finish the day in a tie for 22nd. Sanz tallied a 79 in the first round, but rebounded for a 75 in the second while Wilson was consistent with 77s in both rounds.
Sophomore Sarah Thead rounded out the lineup for Auburn as she finished the day in a tie for 52nd with rounds of 81-78--159.
Also competing at the tournament is Auburn freshman Madison Overbey, who is playing as an individual. She finished the day in a tie for 33rd, carded 8-over-par 78s in both rounds to finish the day with a 16-over-par 156.
AU is eight strokes behind Duke and Alabama, who currently hold first place with 43-pver 603s. Host Florida, the defending tournament champion, is currently in third place with a 46-over-par 606. Nipping at Auburn's heels after the first day of play is Georgia State in fifth place, only one stroke behind the Tigers with a 52-over 612.
Individually, Alabama's Kathleen Ekey and Florida State's Whitney Wenglasz hold onto first place with 4-over-par 144s. Auburn's Schepperle was tied for second with Ekey after the first round and her 3-over-par 73, but slipped to T14th after posting a 9-over 79 in the second round.
Action in the SunTrust Lady Gator is set to conclude at 7:30 a.m. CT, with a shotgun start. Live stats are available at www.GolfStat.com.