May 8, 2009
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The No. 5 Auburn women's golf team improved 10 strokes from its first-round score on Tuesday, but still sits in a tie for 12th with a 38-over-par 398 after 36 holes at the 2009 NCAA East Regional Championship. Junior Candace Schepperle currently leads the team in a tie for second with a 1-over-par 141.
Hosted by the University of Florida, the NCAA East Regional is a 54-hole stroke play event being played at the Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla. The par-70 course is playing at 6,023 yards for the tournament. At the conclusion of the tournament, the top eight teams will advance to the NCAA Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md.
Following an opening-round 304, Auburn picked up 10 strokes with a 14-over 294 in the second round, but only moved up one and is currently six strokes out of the qualifying top eight spots.
"We got a little better, had a tough day putting," said Auburn head coach Kim Evans. "We matched scores with a lot of teams and were not able to pick up as many strokes as we needed. We are going to have to play in the afternoon again tomorrow and it is going to be tough."
Alabama moved into the lead after the second round with a 15-over-par 575, followed by Denver in second with a 583. Tennessee and Vanderbilt are tied for third with 25-over 585s while Virginia is in fifth with a 27-over-par 587.
Tulane is in sixth with a 28-over 588, followed by Duke in seventh (591) and Georgia in eighth (592). The Tigers enter the final round six strokes behind the Bulldogs for the eighth and final spot into the NCAA Championship.
"We picked up strokes today and we just have to do it again tomorrow," said Evans. "We have to go out, be patient, makes some things happen. Candace Schepperle, Haley Wilson and Patricia Sanz played really well for us today, I was really proud of them.
Schepperle led the way for Auburn as she finished the second round in a tie for second with a 1-over-par 141. She is two strokes behind Alabama's Camilla Lennarth, who leads the field with a 1-under-par 139.
Schepperle, a Birmingham native, carded three birdies and three bogeys in her round to finish out at even par, coupling with her 1-over 71 outing in the first round.
"Candace is really focused, really positive and playing really well right now," said Evans. "She can do some great things on the golf course and we are excited to see what she does tomorrow."
Following Schepperle is the freshman combination of Sanz and Wilson. Sanz, a native of Madrid, Spain, improved three strokes from the first round with a 3-over-par 70 to finish the day in a tie for 38th with a 9-over 149. Wilson (Fort Mitchell, Ala.) also carded a 73 in the second round, a six-stroke improvement from Thursday to finish the day in a tie for 59th with a 12-pover-par 152.
Sophomore Cydney Clanton (Concord, N.C.) is currently fourth on the team, posting her second 8-over 78 of the tournament to tie for 84th with a 16-over-par 156. Sophomre Sarah Thead, a native of Poway, Calif., rounds out the Auburn lineup as she carded a 10-over 80 in the second round to finish out in a tie for 90th with a 19-over 159.
Saturday's weather is expected to be warm again with a predicted high of 94 and winds out the southwest at 11 mph.
Tee times for the final round begin at 6:30 a.m. CT off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees. Auburn will play with Coastal Carolina and Ole Miss with their tee times beginning at 10:50 a.m. CT off the No. 1 tee.
Fans can follow all the action with live scoring at www.GolfStat.com.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Second-round results from the 2009 NCAA East Regional Championship hosted by the University of Florida at the Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida. Par: 70. Yardage: 6,023.
TEAM SCORES
1 - Alabama - 284-291--575 (+15)
2 - Denver - 287-296--583 (+23)
T3 - Tennessee - 292-293--585 (+25)
T3 - Vanderbilt - 286-299--585 (+25)
5 - Virginia - 290-297--587 (+27)
6 - Tulane - 292-296--588 (+28)
7 - Duke - 298-293--591 (+31)
8 - Georgia - 297-295--592 (+32)
9 - North Carolina - 291-303--594 (+34)
10 - Furman - 305-290--595 (+35)
11 - East Carolina - 283-313--596 (+36)
T12 - South Carolina - 308-290--598 (+38)
T12 - Auburn - 304-294--598 (+38)
T12 - Coastal Carolina - 301-297--598 (+38)
15 - Ole Miss - 307-293--600 (+40)
16 - Florida State - 307-297-604 (+44)
17 - Florida - 305-301--606 (+46)
18 - Central Florida - 309-302--611 (+51)
T19 - College of Charleston - 302-310--612 (+52)
T19 - Stetson - 309-303--612 (+52)
21 - Jackson State - 324-336--660 (+100)
TOP-15 INDIVIDUALS AND AUBURN PLAYERS
1 - Camilla Lennarth (Alabama) - 69-70-139 (-1)
T2 - Marina Alex (Vanderbilt) - 69-72-141 (+1)
T2 - Nathalie Mansson (Tennessee) - 69-72-141 (+1)
T2 - Candace Schepperle (Auburn) - 71-70-141 (+1)
T5 - Stephanie Connelly (Central Florida) - 73-69-142 (+2)
T5 - Linn Gustafsson (Tulane) - 71-71-142 (+2)
T5 - Brooke Pancake (Alabama) - 70-72-142 (+2)
T8 - Abby Bools (East Carolina) - 68-75-143 (+3)
T8 - Blair Lamb (Furman) - 73-70-143 (+3)
T8 - Jennie Lee (Duke) - 71-72-143 (+3)
T8 - Catherine O'Donnell (North Carolina) - 69-74-143 (+3)
T8 - Stephanie Sherlock (Denver) - 69-74-143 (+3)
T8 - Dawn Shockley (Denver) - 73-70-143 (+3)
T14 - Mallory Hetzel (Georgia) - 75-69-144 (+4)
T14 - Jessica Vincent (Costal Carolina) - 70-74-144 (+4)
T38 - Patricia Sanz (Auburn) - 76-73-149 (+9)
T59 - Haley Wilson (Auburn) - 79-73-152 (+12)
T84 - Cydney Clanton (Auburn) - 78-78-156 (+16)
T90 - Sarah Thead (Auburn) - 79-80-159 (+19)