Oct. 1, 2017
WEST POINT, Miss. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Senior Michaela Owen shot a 2-under-par 70 to lead the Auburn women's golf team in the first round of the Magnolia Invitational on Sunday.
As a team, Auburn shot 291 (+3) and is tied for third place in the 10-team field at Old Waverly Golf Club (par 72, 6,320 yards).
"A decent start, but disappointing at the same time," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said. "This team is good enough to be under par with the course setup. We had too many mental mistakes with indecision in the wind, but that is what makes this game so challenging ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" the mental side. The focus tomorrow is to be the best with our decision-making. That will save some strokes."
Owen recorded her fourth round under par in as many outings so far this season; she shot 70 or 71 in all three rounds at the Mason Rudolph Championship last month. Today, Owen had four birdies and two bogeys. She was 2-under through 10 holes, then got to 3-under after a birdie at 16, but dropped back to minus-2 with a bogey at the last. Tied for sixth place, she is three shots behind the leader after one round.
Sophomores Elena Hualde and Kayley Marschke carded matching rounds of 73 (+1) and are tied for 16th place. Hualde recorded 14 pars on the day and was at even par through 10 holes with a birdie and a bogey on the front. A triple-bogey at 11 dropped her to 3-over, but she got two shots back with an eagle at the par-5 15th. Marschke had three birdies and was 2-under through 16 holes, but a bogey-double finish dropped her back over par.
Junior Melanie Talbott, playing as an individual, is tied for 21st after a round of 74 that featured five birdies. Freshman Kaleigh Telfer carded a 75 (+3) in her first collegiate round to stand in a tie for 25th after 18 holes.
Tournament co-host Ole Miss shot 278 (-10) on the opening day and leads by nine shots over second-place Tennessee (-1). Auburn and Memphis are four strokes back of the Lady Vols in third. UT's Anna Newell is the individual leader at 5-under-par.
Auburn will tee off Monday morning at 8:30 a.m. CT on the first tee, paired with Mississippi State and Kansas State. Live scoring is available at golfstat.com.
For the latest on Auburn women's golf, follow @AuburnWGolf on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
First-round results from the Magnolia Invitational, co-hosted by Ole Miss & Mississippi State at Old Waverly Golf Club (par 72, 6,320 yards) in West Point, Miss.:
Team Standings
1. Ole Miss ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 278 (-10)
2. Tennessee ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 287 (-1)
T3. Auburn ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 291 (+3)
T3. Memphis ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 291 (+3)
5. Mississippi State ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 296 (+8)
T6. Kansas State ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 301 (+13)
T6. LSU ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 301 (+13)
8. Southern Miss ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 303 (+15)
9. Augusta ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 307 (+19)
10. Troy ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 321 (+33)
Auburn Individuals
T6. Michaela Owen ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 70 (-2)
T16. Elena Hualde ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 73 (+1)
T16. Kayley Marschke ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 73 (+1)
*T21. Melanie Talbott ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 74 (+2)
T25. Kaleigh Telfer ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 75 (+3)
T52. Kelli Murphy ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 80 (+8)
*playing as individual; score does not count toward team total