April 22, 2017
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" A pair of even-par rounds from freshman Elena Hualde and junior Kelli Murphy paced the Auburn women's golf team Saturday in the second round of the SEC Championship at Greystone Golf & Country Club.
The Tigers improved by three shots over their first-round total, posting a team score of 297 (+9).
"I was really happy to see Elena come back," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said. "And proud of Kelli for fighting hard after making double-bogey on her second hole. Michaela (Owen) had her opportunities; some great holes but just too many bogeys. Kayley (Marschke) had an off-day, but she never, ever gave up. I'm really proud of this team, how they conduct themselves. They stay in it. And hard days like this is when they really have a chance to learn and mature."
Hualde bounced back from a 5-over-par 77 in Friday's first round to record her 15th round of the season at even par or better. Nine straight pars to open the round kept her even at the turn, and she overcame a bogey at the 10th with consecutive birdies at 11 and 12 to move to 1-under. She would make par on five of her last six holes with just one bogey at the 15th to finish even for the day.
Murphy shared low round honors for the second straight day, following up a first-round 73 with a 72 Saturday. After a tough double-bogey at the second hole, she was bogey-free the rest of the way, carding 14 pars and a pair of birdies at the eighth and 12th holes.
Owen had an up-and-down round that included a team-best four birdies to shoot 74 (+2). She made the turn at even par after three birdies and three bogeys on the front nine. A tough start to the inward nine left her 3-over, but a birdie at 14 got her back on track, and she finished with four straight pars.
Florida holds a five-shot lead on the field after 36 holes, and Georgia's Harang Lee is the individual leader at 8-under.
The Tigers will once again be paired with Missouri for Sunday's final round, which is set to begin at 8 a.m. on the first tee. Live scoring is available at golfstatresults.com.
Second-round results from the 2017 SEC Women's Golf Championship, hosted by the Southeastern Conference at Greystone Golf & Country Club ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Legacy Course (par 72, 6,202 yards) in Birmingham, Ala.:
Team Standings
1. Florida ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 564 (-12)
2. Georgia ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 569 (-7)
3. Arkansas ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 570 (-6)
4. Texas A&M ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 572 (-4)
5. Tennessee ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 573 (-3)
6. South Carolina ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 576 (E)
7. Alabama ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 580 (+4)
8. Kentucky ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 587 (+11)
T9. LSU ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 589 (+13)
T9. Vanderbilt ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 589 (+13)
11. Ole Miss ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 591 (+15)
12. Mississippi State ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 595 (+19)
T13. Auburn ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 597 (+21)
T13. Missouri ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 597 (+21)
Auburn Individuals
T23. Kelli Murphy ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 73-72=145 (+1)
T40. Elena Hualde ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 77-72=149 (+5)
T47. Michaela Owen ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 76-74=150 (+6)
T59. Kayley Marschke ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 74-79=153 (+9)
68. Melanie Talbott ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 77-81=158 (+14)