Kelli Murphy earns runner-up finish at Bryan National Collegiate

April 5, 2015

Kelli Murphy shot a tournament-low 69 (-3) Sunday to finish second at the Bryan National Collegiate. (Wade Rackley photo)

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Freshman Kelli Murphy fired a final-round 69 (-3) to lead the Auburn women's golf team on Sunday at the Bryan National Collegiate.

Murphy tied for runner-up honors with scores of 72-76-69=217 (+1), one shot behind tournament medalist Briana Mao of Virginia and even with Wake Forest's Sierra Sims. Her score of 69 on Sunday tied for the low round of the tournament - one of just four rounds in the 60s all week - and was the best round by an Auburn player this spring.

"Kelli was solid all day," Auburn head coach Kim Evans said. "She played like a champion for 54 holes. But we had a tough day today as a whole."

As a team, Auburn earned its best finish of the spring, placing ninth overall in the 18-team field with a team score of 911 (+47). The Tigers shot 307 (+19) in Sunday's final round at the Bryan Park Champions Course.

Murphy, a freshman from Elgin, S.C., recorded five birdies with just two bogeys in her final round. Trailing Mao by four shots entering the day, she started out with birdies at the third and sixth holes to get to 2-under for the day, then made the turn at 1-under after a bogey at the seventh. Back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 got her to 3-under and a tie for the lead. Mao birdied the 14th to move ahead by one shot, but Murphy answered with birdie at 15 to pull back even. The pair were tied for the lead headed to the 18th, but Mao would make par while Murphy bogeyed to leave her one shot back.

Freshman Sophia Schubert posted a 76 (+4) to finish at 13-over for the week, tied for 27th place. Junior Alex Harrell was one shot back of Schubert with a 77 (+5) on Sunday, earning a tie for 31st place.

Virginia captured the team title in a two-hole playoff after matching Wake Forest at 36-over for the week.

Auburn will join the other 13 Southeastern Conference teams in two weeks at the 2015 SEC Championship, which takes place April 17-19 at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Hoover, Ala.