May 18, 2018
STILLWATER, Okla. ââ'¬" On the opening day of the 2018 NCAA Women's Golf Championships, the golf course won.
But 19th-ranked Auburn held its own with the rest of the field Friday, shooting a 16-over-par 304 in the opening round at Karsten Creek to tie for 12th place after 18 holes of play on one of the toughest layouts to ever host an NCAA Championship.
"At this course, the big numbers, the double-bogeys ââ'¬" they can jump up very easily," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said. "In a team competition like this, it can change so quickly out here. I feel like this team can come together and have a really good round the next couple of days.
"We just have to keep learning about the golf course. We've only played it two times now, and it's a big golf course. You can't start getting tentative out here, but it's really easy to do. Because you know if you miss the fairway, you know if you miss the green, it's hard to make par. We just really have to work on making free swings."
With the first tee time of the day at 7:30 a.m., Auburn was able to take advantage of calmer conditions early and overcome thick rough and tricky greens to post their score before the final groups of the day teed off. As the wind picked up in the afternoon, so did the scores as five of the top 10 teams in the field finished more than 20-over-par and moved the Tigers up the leaderboard.
Sophomore Kayley Marschke more than held her own, shooting a 1-over-par 73 to stand in a tie for 19th place after the first round. Marschke bounced back from two early bogeys with a birdie at the seventh hole and made the turn at 1-over. She opened her back nine with seven straight pars before a bogey at 17, then two-putted for birdie at the par-5 18th after nearly holing out for double eagle on her second shot.
"I walked with Kayley, and I saw beautiful golf," Luellen said. "She drove it awesome, she hit her irons great, she just played really solid."
Two shots behind Marschke was freshman Kaleigh Telfer at 3-over 75. Telfer got off to a hot start with two straight birdies, then made the turn at 1-under after a birdie at the ninth. An up-and-down back nine for Telfer featured two birdies but three double bogeys, but she is in a tie for 38th place headed to Saturday's second round.
Senior Kelli Murphy posted a 5-over 77, and senior Michaela Owen carded a 79 (+7) for Auburn's other two counting scores.
No teams and only 10 individuals in the 132-player field were under par on the day. Southern California owns the 18-hole lead at 3-over, followed by Alabama (+4) and UCLA (+6). Wake Forest's Jennifer Kupcho tied the course record with a 65 (-7) and owns a three-shot lead over Northwestern's Janet Mao (-4).
Auburn will once again be paired with Oklahoma and Florida State for Saturday's second round, but will be part of the afternoon wave beginning at 12:15 p.m. CT on the 10th tee. Live scoring is available at golfstat.com, and fans can follow @AuburnWGolf on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates from the course.
First-round results from the 2018 NCAA Championships, hosted by Oklahoma State at Karsten Creek Golf Club (par 72, 6,328 yards) in Stillwater, Okla.
Team Standings
1. Southern California ââ'¬" 291 (+3)
2. Alabama ââ'¬" 292 (+4)
3. UCLA ââ'¬" 294 (+6)
4. Kent State ââ'¬" 296 (+8)
5. Duke ââ'¬" 298 (+10)
6. Northwestern ââ'¬" 299 (+11)
T7. Arizona ââ'¬" 301 (+13)
T7. Louisville ââ'¬" 301 (+13)
T7. Florida State ââ'¬" 301 (+13)
T10. Washington ââ'¬" 303 (+15)
T10. Florida ââ'¬" 303 (+15)
12. Auburn ââ'¬" 304 (+16)
T13. Colorado ââ'¬" 306 (+18)
T13. Wake Forest ââ'¬" 306 (+18)
15. Oklahoma ââ'¬" 307 (+19)
T16. Stanford ââ'¬" 308 (+20)
T16. Arkansas ââ'¬" 308 (+20)
18. Texas ââ'¬" 309 (+21)
19. Ohio State ââ'¬" 310 (+22)
20. Furman ââ'¬" 311 (+23)
21. Baylor ââ'¬" 313 (+25)
22. Arizona State ââ'¬" 314 (+26)
23. Virginia ââ'¬" 315 (+27)
24. Ole Miss ââ'¬" 320 (+32)
Auburn Individuals
T19. Kayley Marschke ââ'¬" 73 (+1)
T35. Kaleigh Telfer ââ'¬" 75 (+3)
T68. Kelli Murphy ââ'¬" 77 (+5)
T89. Michaela Owen ââ'¬" 79 (+7)
T111. Elena Hualde ââ'¬" 82 (+10)