March 12, 2010
NEW ORLEANS - Auburn junior Cydney Clanton carded a 1-over-par 73 Friday in the first round of the Tiger/Wave Classic at English Turn Golf Club in New Orleans, leading Auburn to a tie for eighth after 18 holes of play.
Hosted by LSU and Tulane, the Tiger/Wave Classic is a 54-hole tournament being played at the par-72, 6,132-yard English Turn Golf & Country Club, the former home of the PGA TOUR's Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The three-day tournament features 23 teams from around the country, nine of which are ranked in the GolfWorld top-25.
Facing windy conditions, Auburn struggled in the heart of its round and went from 2-under-par to 4-over in a matter of four holes.
"It was unbelievably windy again," said Auburn head coach Kim Evans. "We did some good things early and some more closer to the end, but in the middle we struggled a bit. Our first round has been our tough spot in our tournaments all season and we have to figure something out."
Auburn carded a 17-over-par 305 in the first round, finishing the day 12 strokes behind first-place Alabama. The Tigers are currently tied for eighth with Tulane, Furman, Texas Christian and Tennessee heading into the second round.
The Tigers have a trend this season of improving with each round. The Tigers have a 294 first-round average, followed by 291 in the second and 289 in the third.
"We are pretty excited to get it going again tomorrow and crank this thing up," said Evans. "We are only 12 shots out of first, so we just need to come out tomorrow and put together an Auburn round."
Clanton played steady for the Tigers, carding three birdies along with two bogeys and a double bogey to finish at 1-over 73, placing herself in a tie for 11th. Clanton, a native of Concord, N.C., posted birdies on two of her final four holes to finish the round strong.
"Cydney birdied the last hole and she was playing solid all day," said Evans. "She held tough and continues to be a leader on the course for us. She is putting together a great year."
Behind her is senior Candace Schepperle in a tie for 34th with a 4-over-par 76. Schepperle, a Birmingham native, led the tournament early on, shooting 1-under-par through the first 11 holes, but bogeys on five of her next six holes dropped her out of the lead.
Completing the scoring for the Tigers were sophomores Patricia Sanz and Haley Wilson. The pair carded 6-over 78s to finish the day in a tie for 60th. Freshman Carlie Yadloczky rounded out the lineup with a 9-over-par 81, finishing the day in a tie for 91st.
Also competing at the tournament is Auburn sophomore Madison Overbey. Competing as an individual, Overbey carded a 10-over 82 in the first round to tie for 104th.
Individually, Alabama's Brooke Pancake and LSU's Tessa Teachman lead the way with 2-under-par 70s. Alabama's Jennifer Kirby is in third with a 1-under 71 while seven players are tied for fourth with even-par 72s.
On the team leaderboard, Alabama leads at 5-over-par 393, followed by co-host LSU in second at 6-over 294. Virginia is in third at 8-over 296 with Ole Miss (300) and North Carolina (302) rounding out the top five.
Action at the tournament continues at 8 a.m., Saturday with tee times off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees. Auburn will lead off the day on the No. 1 tee, taking off from 8 - 8:40 a.m., along with Tennessee, Texas Christian and Furman.
Fans can follow the action with live scoring at www.GolfStat.com.
NEW ORLEANS -- First-round results from the Tiger/Wave Classic hosted by LSU and Tulane at English Turn Golf & Country Club. Par: 72. Yardage: 6,132.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
T11 - Cydney Clanton - 73--73 (+1)
T34 - Candace Schepperle - 76--76 (+4)
T60 - Haley Wilson - 78--78 (+6)
T60 - Patricia Sanz - 78--78 (+6)
T91 - Carlie Yadloczky - 81--81 (+9)
T104 - Madison Overbey - 82--82 (+10)
TEAM RESULTS
1 - Alabama - 293--293 (+5)
2 - LSU - 294--294 (+6)
3 - Virginia - 296--296 (+8)
4 - Ole Miss - 300--300 (+12)
5 - North Carolina - 302--302 (+14)
T6 - Purdue - 303--303 (+15)
T6 - Vanderbilt - 303--303 (+15)
T8 - Auburn - 305--305 (+17)
T8 - Tulane - 303--305 (+17)
T8 - Furman - 305--305 (+17)
T8 - Texas Christian - 305--305 (+17)
T8 - Tennessee - 305--305 (+17)
13 - North Carolina State - 306--306 (+18)
14 - Georgia - 307--307 (+19)
15 - Kentucky - 308--308 (+20)
16 - Notre Dame - 310--310 (+22)
17 - Louisville - 312--312 (+24)
18 - College of Charleston - 313--313 (+25)
T19 - Wake Forest - 314--314 (+26)
T19 - Arkansas - 314--314 (+26)
21 - Mississippi State - 320--320 (+32)
22 - Central Florida - 321--321 (+33)
23 - North Carolina-Wilmington - 323--323 (+35)