Sept. 27, 2009
FRANKLIN, Tenn. - The eighth-ranked Auburn women's golf team carded a 3-under-par 285 Sunday in the final round of the 2009 Mason Rudolph Championship, finishing the abbreviated 36-hole tournament in third place with a tournament-total 13-under 563. Junior Cydney Clanton led the Tigers individually, finishing in a tie for second place.
Hosted by Vanderbilt, the Mason Rudolph Championship was a 54-hole tournament that was shortened to 36 holes after Saturday's round was cancelled because of weather. It was played at the par-72, 6,271-yard Vanderbilt Legends Club North Course. The three-day tournament featured eight teams ranked in the GolfWorld top-10 and 13 ranked in the top-25.
After not playing Saturday, Auburn entered the final round in a tie with eventual champion Southern California after firing a 10-under 278 in Friday's opening round. The Trojans posted a 6-under 282 to hold on to the lead and the tournament championship.
"It was a good, solid tournament for us," said Auburn head coach Kim Evans. "We had a lot of good individual performances this weekend and have a lot of positive things to build on. I felt like we should have had it, but this is a tough tournament with a lot of great teams and you have to be ready to play every day."
Clanton, a Concord, N.C., native, fired her third round in the 60s this season as she carded a final-round 68 to finish the weekend at 9-under-par 136. The score led the team and was good enough to finish in a tie for second with Vanderbilt's Marina Alex and UCLA's Sydnee Michaels.
The trio finished three strokes behind individual champion Jennifer Song of Southern California. She used back-to-back rounds of 6-under 66 to win the tournament with a 12-under-par 132.
"Cydney was in it the whole time, from start to finish," said Evans. "She played great and made a great shot on the last hole to try to tie for second. She wanted to compete for the title, that is what she came here to do and she gave herself a good chance today."
Finishing four strokes behind Clanton was teammate and Birmingham native Candace Schepperle at 5-under-par 139. Schepperle began the day in a tie for the lead after posting a 6-under 66 in the first round, but a pair of late bogeys dropped her above par for the day, finishing at 1-over 73 and a tie for seventh.
Also finishing in the top 30 was sophomore Haley Wilson, a native of Ft. Mitchell, Ala. She carded back-to-back 72s to finish the tournament at even-par 144 and a tie for 30th. Two strokes behind her was freshman Carlie Yadloczky, finishing in a tie for 49th with a 2-over-par 146.
Rounding out the Tiger lineup was freshman Patricia Sanz. The Madrid, Spain, native carded a 5-over 77 to finish the tournament in a tie for 71st with a 6-over-par 150.
Also playing this weekend was senior Karlin Beck, who competed as an individual. She carded a 2-over 74 in the final round to finish the tournament in a tie for 67th at 5-over 149.
Southern California took the team title with a 16-under 560, followed by cross-town rival UCLA in second with a 14-under 562. Auburn trailed UCLA by a stroke to finish third while Arizona State, the No. 1-ranked team in the country, finished fourth with an 11-under-par 565. Duke rounded out the top five by finishing in a tie for fourth with ASU.
The Tigers will now take a couple weeks off before returning to action, Oct. 9-11, at the North Carolina Tar Heel Invitational.
"We learned a lot about our team this weekend, but it is time to go back to the drawing board," said Evans. "The Tar Heel tournament is very tough with a very good field of teams competing, so we will have to go back and re-load before making the trip out there."
The 54-hole tournament will take place at UNC's Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill, N.C.
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- Final results from the Mason Rudolph Championship hosted by Vanderbilt University at VU Legends Club North Course. Par: 72. Yardage: 6,271.
TEAM SCORING
1 - Southern California - 278-282--560 (-16)
2 - UCLA - 284-278--562 (-14)
3 - Auburn - 278-285--563 (-13)
T4 - Arizona State - 280-285--565 (-11)
T4 - Duke - 283-282--565 (-11)
6 - LSU 286-283--569 (-7)
7 - Alabama - 280-290--570 (-6)
8 - Oklahoma State - 285-286--571 (-5)
9 - Georgia - 285-288--573 (-3)
10 - Arizona - 286-290--576 (E)
11 - Vanderbilt - 285-293--578 (+2)
12 - Virginia - 292-287--579 (+3)
13 - Stanford - 287-293--580 (+4)
14 - Florida - 292-289--581 (+5)
15 - Texas - 290-294--584 (+8)
16 - Tulane - 296-289--585 (+9)
17 - South Carolina - 300-296--596 (+20)
INDIVIDUAL SCORING
T2 - Cydney Clanton - 67-68--135 (-9)
T7 - Candace Schepperle - 66-73--139 (-5)
T30 - Haley Wilson - 72-72-144 (E)
T49 - Carlie Yadloczky - 74-72--146 (+2)
T71 - Patricia Sanz - 73-77--150 (+6)
**T67 - Karlin Beck - 75-74--149 (+5)
** - Competing as an individual