Feb. 5, 2017
ORLANDO, Fla. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Auburn shot a 4-under-par 284 Sunday in the opening round of the UCF Challenge, and the Tigers are in fourth place through 18 holes at Eagle Creek Golf Club.
Juniors Michaela Owen and Kelli Murphy posted rounds of 70 (-2) and freshman Elena Hualde added a 71 (-1) to give Auburn three players under par on the same day for the second time this year. It was the seventh round at par or better this season for both Owen and Hualde, and it was the sixth for Murphy.
Owen overcame a bogey on her first hole, the 13th, with birdies on two of her next three to get to red figures. She would remain bogey-free the rest of the day, adding another birdie at the eighth to get to 2-under. Murphy also had just one bogey on the day, this coming on her second hole ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" the 15th, before making birdie at 18 to get back to even. Nine straight pars on the front nine gave way to birdies at 11 and 12 to finish off a 2-under round. Owen and Murphy are tied for 13th place.
Hualde had three bogeys on the day but came up big with four birdies to move into a tie for 21st place at 1-under. Sophomores Melanie Talbott and Mai Dechathipat each finished with 1-over-par 73 and are tied for 39th.
Auburn's team score of 284 matched its season-best. The Tigers posted that number in the opening round of the Cougar Classic and the second round of the Maryb S. Kauth Invitational, both in October.
The Tigers are four shots out of the lead through 18 holes. Tournament host UCF leads the event at 8-under, followed by Wisconsin and Kentucky, who are tied for second at 5-under.
Round two of the UCF Challenge gets underway with an 8 a.m. CT shotgun start. Auburn will be paired with Iowa State and Mississippi State for the second round. Live scoring is available at golfstatresults.com.
First-round results from the UCF Challenge, hosted by Central Florida at Eagle Creek Golf Club (par 72, 6,349 yards) in Orlando, Fla.
Team Standings
1. UCF ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 280 (-8)
T2. Wisconsin ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 283 (-5)
T2. Kentucky ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 283 (-5)
4. Auburn ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 284 (-4)
T5. Iowa State ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 285 (-3)
T5. Mississippi State ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 285 (-3)
T7. Clemson ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 286 (-2)
T7. Old Dominion ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 286 (-2)
9. Miami ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 287 (-1)
T10. Texas ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 288 (E)
T10. East Carolina ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 288 (E)
12. Kent State ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 290 (+2)
13. Tulane ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 291 (+3)
14. SMU ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 292 (+4)
15. Daytona State College ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 293 (+5)
16. UNC Wilmington ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 295 (+7)
17. South Florida ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 297 (+9)
Auburn Individuals
T13. Michaela Owen ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 70 (-2)
T13. Kelli Murphy ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 70 (-2)
T21. Elena Hualde ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 71 (-1)
T39. Melanie Talbott ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 73 (+1)
*T39. Mai Dechathipat ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 73 (+1)
T82. Clara Baena ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 77 (+5)
*competing as individual; score does not count toward team total