Feb. 4, 2018
ORLANDO, Fla. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Senior Kelli Murphy shot an even-par 72 to lead the Auburn women's golf team on a breezy first day at the UCF Challenge Sunday.
The Tigers shot 299 (+11) as a team to stand in a tie for sixth place after 18 holes of play. Scores were high across the board with no teams and just eight individuals under par. At 11-over, the Tigers are just six shots out of the lead.
"Unfortunately, we had a truckload of three-putts," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said. "Cut those in half and we are leading the tournament. The wind did make the course play quite difficult. Conditions and scores will improve tomorrow."
Murphy's 72 was one of just 11 rounds at even par or better in the 90-player field. Starting on the fifth hole with the shotgun start, she played her first 13 holes at 1-under with one bogey on the 10th and birdies at the 15th and 17th. A double-bogey on 18 dropped her back to 1-over, but she made birdie at No. 3 to get back to even par for the day. She is tied for ninth place.
Freshman Mychael O'Berry carded a 75 (+3) that featured a team-leading four birdies; she is tied for 24th place. Freshmen Elena Hualde and Julie McCarthy and sophomore Kayley Marschke each shot 76 (+4) to move into a tie for 34th. Freshman Kaleigh Telfer was one shot back with a 77 (+5).
Iowa State and East Carolina are tied for the 18-hole lead at 5-over 293. Individually, ECU's Dorthea Forbrigd shot 69 (-3) to lead the way; two players are tied for second at 2-under.
Second-round play gets underway at 7:45 a.m. CT Monday morning. Tee times and pairings, along with live scoring, will be available at golfstat.com.
For the latest on Auburn women's golf, follow @AuburnWGolf on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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
T1. Iowa State ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 293 (+5)
T1. East Carolina ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 293 (+5)
3. Miami ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 295 (+7)
T4. Wisconsin ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 297 (+9)
T4. Tulane ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 297 (+9)
T6. Auburn ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 299 (+11)
T6. Central Florida ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 299 (+11)
T8. Memphis ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 300 (+12)
T8. Texas Tech ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 300 (+12)
10. SMU ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 301 (+13)
11. Mississippi State ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 302 (+14)
12. Penn State ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 303 (+15)
13. Vanderbilt ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 304 (+16)
14. Old Dominion ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 305 (+17)
15. UNC Wilmington ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 311 (+23)
16. College of Charleston ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 313 (+25)
Auburn Individuals
T9. Kelli Murphy ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 72 (E)
T24. Mychael O'Berry ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 75 (+3)
T34. Elena Hualde ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 76 (+4)
T34. Julie McCarthy ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 76 (+4)
*T34. Kayley Marschke ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 76 (+4)
T50. Kaleigh Telfer ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 77 (+5)
*Individual