March 5, 2016
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Sophomores Michaela Owen and Kelli Murphy posted season-best rounds Saturday, and the Auburn women's golf team moved up two spots into a tie for sixth place at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate with 18 holes to play.
The Tigers recorded a 5-over-par 289 ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" tied for the second-best team round of the day ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" and moved into a tie with North Carolina and Arkansas for sixth place at 17-over for the tournament. Those three teams are just one shot out of fifth place, three shots out of a tie for third and nine shots back of the tournament lead.
Owen posted the low round of her collegiate career with a 1-under-par 70 to lead the Tigers Saturday. She made 15 pars along with two birdies and just one bogey as she moved into a tie for eighth place, seeking Auburn's first top-10 individual finish of the year. For the tournament, she stands at 1-over par, two shots out of the top five and four back of the leaders.
Murphy also had her best outing of the season, carding a 72 (+1) to vault up the leaderboard to a tie for 39th. She was five shots better than her opening round with a consistent day that included a pair of birdies along with three bogeys.
It was another strong day for senior Alex Harrell as she moved into an eight-way tie for 11th place with a round of 73 (+2). She made pars on her first seven holes and finished the day with two birdies and four bogeys. And junior Clara Baena put together a 3-over 74 that also included a pair of birdies.
Auburn seeks its best finish at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, now in its fifth season. The Tigers' previous best showing in Hilton Head came in 2014 when Auburn tied for 10th.
Alabama leads the tournament at 8-over, followed by Virginia (+11), Oklahoma State (+14) and Vanderbilt (+14). Virginia's Lauren Coughlin and Vandy's Alexandra Farnsworth share the individual lead at 3-under.
Final-round play gets underway at 7 a.m. CT Sunday. Auburn will start on the first tee, paired with Arkansas and Tennessee. Live scoring is available at golfstat.com.
Team Standings
1. Alabama ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 576 (+8)
2. Virginia ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 579 (+11)
T3. Oklahoma State ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 582 (+14)
T3. Vanderbilt ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 582 (+14)
5. Georgia ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 583 (+15)
T6. Auburn ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 585 (+17)
T6. North Carolina ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 585 (+17)
T6. Arkansas ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 585 (+17)
9. Tennessee ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 597 (+19)
10. Duke ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 588 (+20)
11. Southern California ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 590 (+22)
12. South Carolina ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 594 (+26)
13. Wake Forest ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 600 (+32)
14. Mississippi State ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 603 (+35)
15. LSU ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 604 (+36)
16. Furman ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 605 (+37)
17. Kentucky ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 607 (+39)
Auburn Individual Results
T8. Michaela Owen ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 73-70=143 (+1)
T11. Alex Harrell ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 72-73=145 (+3)
T39. Kelli Murphy ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 77-72=149 (+7)
T68. Jamie Yun ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 74-79=153 (+11)
T68. Clara Baena ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 79-74=153 (+11)