Oct. 10, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - After the second round of action at the Tar Heel Invitational, the Auburn women's golf team improved to 6-over after a 2-under 286 round of play. The Tigers, now tied for third at 6-over, were led by Cydney Clanton and Carlie Yadloczky, who each carded rounds of 2-under 70 during their second set of 18 holes.
Leading the field, Michigan State continued to roll as it posted a second round of 283 and is at 8-under for the weekend.
Hosted by the University of North Carolina, the Tar Heel Invitational is a 54-hole tournament being played at the par-72, 6,285 yard UNC Finley Golf Course. The three-day event features nine teams within the GolfWorld top-25 and four teams in the top-15.
"It's 10 shots better than yesterday, so I'm happy with that," head coach Kim Evans said. "We lost a lot of ground on the 10th, 11th and 12th holes, but I'm seeing good things. I'm proud of that improvement and hopefully we can continue with that tomorrow."
The Tigers were led by Clanton and Yadloczky, who each carded rounds of 2-under 70. Clanton holed two birdies on the front nine, but bogeyed Nos. 10 and 11, taking her back to even par. However, the Concord, N.C. native, responded with birdies on No. 13 and No. 15 to end her round at 70. Clanton moves to moves to 1-under 143 for the weekend and is tied for sixth individually.
Auburn's other lift came from Yadloczky. The freshman started the day with three-straight birdies, but followed by bogeying Nos. 4, 5 and 6. After she birdied the seventh, Yadloczky went on the find two more birdies and a bogey on the back nine to complete her 2-under 70 round. She improves to 2-over 146 in the invitational and moved up to being tied for 18th.
Yadloczky's 2-under 70 round was the best round of her early college career.
"Carlie was huge for us today," Evans stated. "We really needed that kind of performance. She started out with those three birdies right off the bat, but then hit those bogeys. She's a very explosive player and it's all about getting her comfortable. She's starting to get used to this and she's capable of this kind of play every time she steps out there."
Following Clanton and Yadloczky, Auburn's senior Candace Schepperle carded an even-par 72 for the second round. Schepperle recorded one birdie on the front nine, but found back-to-back bogeys on 12 and 13 to take her back to 1-over. The senior stepped up on No. 17 with a birdie to salvage the round and keep her 1-under 143 during the weekend. She is tied alongside Clanton for sixth individually.
The Tigers still found difficulty on the back nine. Haley Wilson, who posted a 2-under 34 in her first nine holes, carded a 4-over 40 on the back with three bogies and one double bogey on No. 15. With a birdie on the 13th, Wilson came into the clubhouse at 2-over 74.
Evans noted that the back nine has challenged the Tigers, especially the first three holes.
"There are a few really tough holes back there and you have to be tough through them," Evans mentioned. "We've got to keep our heads down on those first three because those will get us if we're not careful."
Patricia Sanz, despite an even-par front nine, seemed to struggle on the back half, bogeying three of the first five holes. Sanz did birdie on No. 18 to give herself a 2-over 74 finish for the day. Sanz and Wilson are tied at 49th individually.
The Tigers will get on the course tomorrow morning at 8:15 CT. The final round will begin with a shotgun start as Auburn is paired with Michigan State and Alabama.
Fans can follow along with the tournament at www.GolfStat.com.
TEAM SCORING
1 - Michigan State - 285-283--568 (-8)
2 - Alabama - 290-289--579 (+3)
T3 - Auburn - 296-286--582 (+6)
T3 - Vanderbilt - 298-284--582 (+6)
T5 - Wake Forest - 293-291--584 (+8)
T5 - Virginia - 292-292--584 (+8)
T7 - Duke - 299-289--588 (+12)
T7 - Tennessee - 291-297--588 (+12)
9 - Louisville - 304-285--589 (+13)
T10 - South Carolina - 295-296--591 (+15)
T10 - Florida State - 294-297--591 (+15)
T10 - Texas A&M - 304-287--591 (+15)
13 - North Carolina - 296-296--592 (+16)
14 - North Carolina State - 301-293--594 (+18)
15 - Kent State - 306-293--599 (+23)
16 - North Carolina Wilmington - 310-291--601 (+25)
17 - Denver - 302-300--602 (+26)
18 - East Carolina - 316-311--627 (+51)
INDIVIDUAL SCORING
T6 - Cydney Clanton - 73-70--143 (-1)
T6 - Candace Schepperle - 71-72--143 (-1)
T18 - Carlie Yadloczky - 76-70--146 (+2)
T49 - Patricia Sanz - 76-74--150 (+6)
T49 - Haley Wilson - 76-74--150 (+6)