May 7, 2015
Alex Harrell opened the NCAA Regional Thursday with a 70 (-2). (Wade Rackley photo)
SAN ANTONIO - Led by a 2-under-par 70 from junior Alex Harrell, the Auburn women's golf team sits in a three-way tie for eighth place after one round at the NCAA San Antonio Regional.
The Tigers shot 291 (+3) in Thursday's first round at Briggs Ranch Golf Club and are tied with Oregon and Florida State, the two teams with which they were paired.
"We had some players that started slow and finished strong," Auburn head coach Kim Evans said. "And we had some that got off to a quick start and then lost a couple coming in. All in all, it was a solid day. It was a good day to build on for tomorrow."
Harrell's 70 was her second-straight round with that score, along with her closing 70 at last month's SEC Championship. In Thursday's round, Harrell made bogey on the first hole but did not have another the rest of the day. She made birdie at the sixth hole to get back to even par, then carded back-to-back birdies at the 13th and 14th to finish at 2-under. She is tied for 14th place in the overall standings.
"Alex is playing well," Evans said. "She left a lot out there, but she's excited, and she should be."
The Tigers got a pair of 73s from senior Victoria Trapani and freshman Sophia Schubert. Trapani's score matched a season-best. She started off with seven straight pars before running into some trouble at holes 8 and 9 with bogeys on each. But like Harrell, she would go back-to-back with birdies at 13 and 14 to get back to even par, and she narrowly missed a par putt on 18 that would have given her an even-par round.
Schubert also started slow and stood at 4-over through 10 holes after making three consecutive bogeys. But she caught fire over the last six holes, making birdies at 13, 15 and 17 - the latter two being par 3s - and just missed another birdie putt at the 18th to finish at 1-over. Schubert and Trapani are tied for 39th. Freshman Kelli Murphy finished with a 75 (+3), and sophomore Clara Baena turned in a 76 (+4) to open play at the regional.
Tennessee holds a one-stroke lead after the first round, shooting 276 (-12) to open a two-shot lead over UCLA (-10) and a four-shot cushion over Baylor (-8). Playing as an individual, Yupaporn Kawinpakorn of Kansas is tied with Baylor's Haley Davis for the individual lead at 5-under.
Auburn will once again tee off at 7:30 a.m. Friday on the first tee, paired with Oklahoma and Florida State. Live scoring is available at golfstatresults.com, and fans can follow @AuburnWGolf on Twitter and Instragram for updates from the course.
First-round results from the NCAA San Antonio Regional, hosted by UTSA at Briggs Ranch Golf Club (par 72, 6,350 yards) in San Antonio, Texas.
Team Standings
1. Tennessee - 276 (-12)
2. UCLA - 278 (-10)
3. Baylor - 280 (-8)
T4. Washington - 281 (-7)
T4. Texas A&M - 281 (-7)
6. Texas - 287 (-1)
7. Oklahoma - 288 (E)
T8. Auburn - 291 (+3)
T8. Florida State - 291 (+3)
T8. Oregon - 291 (+3)
11. Texas Tech - 292 (+4)
12. Arizona State - 296 (+8)
13. Kennesaw State - 298 (+10)
14. Houston - 300 (+12)
15. Boston University - 304 (+16)
16. Lamar - 305 (+17)
17. Gonzaga - 306 (+18)
18. Alabama State - 315 (+27)
Auburn Individuals
T14. Alex Harrell - 70 (-2)
T39. Sophia Schubert - 73 (+1)
T39. Victoria Trapani - 73 (+1)
T56. Kelli Murphy - 75 (+3)
T70. Clara Baena - 76 (+4)