May 20, 2018
STILLWATER, Okla. ââ'¬" It came down to one shot.
Auburn finished in a four-way tie for 15th place and the final spot above the 54-hole cutline Sunday at the NCAA Women's Golf Championships, but did not advance to Monday's final round thanks to a tiebreaker.
Playing in the final tee time of the third round, the Tigers put together one of the best rounds of the day, shooting a 5-over-par 293 that was better than the scores of UCLA (+9), USC (+8) and five other teams that made the cut.
For the tournament, Auburn finished at 39-over 903, tied with Louisville, Arizona State and Wake Forest for the final spot. Louisville advanced on the tiebreaker, which was the cumulative total of the non-counting scores each day. The Cardinals won that tiebreaker by five strokes.
"I'm so proud," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said. "They fought like I would want them to fight. They believed they could do it, they played terrific. We made a couple of birdies on the last hole when we knew we needed to make some birdies. There was no choke today.
"What I told the younger ones (after the round) was that this moment right here, they don't like this feeling. It hurts. We feel like we should be playing (Monday). But when they are feeling like not practicing, they need to think about that feeling. And we'll be back."
Sophomore Elena Hualde provided a stellar finish to her week, shooting a 1-under 71 to mark an 11-shot turnaround from her opening round on Friday. She carded five birdies on the day, including a huge one at the par-5 18th to pull the Tigers into the tie with Louisville. Hualde was never more than 1-over during her final round and finished in a tie for 75th place.
Senior Kelli Murphy, playing in her final round as a Tiger, was Auburn's top finisher for the week, tying for 47th place at 8-over. She finished her career in style with an even-par 72 ââ'¬" a typically steady round for the Elgin, S.C., native that saw her make 16 pars, along with one birdie and one bogey.
Auburn's other senior, Michaela Owen, also recorded her best round of the week with a 75 (+3), recording a pair of birdies on the day.
"In my 18 years of coaching, I've seen a lot of seniors just kind of check out," Luellen said. "These two, they wanted to be here. Because they stuck it out, they were in it, they saw the young talent and the challenge they got every day, they started to believe that they could be here."
Sophomore Kayley Marschke matched Owen's final-round total with a 75 of her own to tie for 83rd place. And freshman Kaleigh Telfer recorded a 77 in her final round to finish at 10-over for the week and tied for 57th place.
This marked Auburn's 17th appearance at the NCAA Championships and the first for Luellen as the Tigers' head coach.
Murphy finished as the team's scoring average leader for the season at 73.48. She will also finish her career ninth in the Auburn career record books with a career scoring average of 74.67. As a team, Auburn's scoring average for the season was 293.67.
Third-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. Alabama ââ'¬" 862 (-2)
2. UCLA ââ'¬" 870 (+6)
3. Arizona ââ'¬" 880 (+16)
4. Northwestern ââ'¬" 882 (+18)
5. Southern California ââ'¬" 885 (+21)
6. Duke ââ'¬" 889 (+25)
7. Stanford ââ'¬" 890 (+26)
8. Kent State ââ'¬" 891 (+27)
9. Florida State ââ'¬" 894 (+30)
10. Baylor ââ'¬" 895 (+31)
11. Arkansas ââ'¬" 897 (+33)
12. Furman ââ'¬" 899 (+35)
13. Texas ââ'¬" 900 (+36)
14. Washington ââ'¬" 902 (+38)
T15. Louisville ââ'¬" 903 (+39)
-------------CUT----------------
T15. Auburn ââ'¬" 903 (+39)
T15. Arizona State ââ'¬" 903 (+39)
T15. Wake Forest ââ'¬" 903 (+39)
19. Colorado ââ'¬" 904 (+40)
20. Oklahoma ââ'¬" 905 (+41)
21. Florida ââ'¬" 909 (+45)
22. Virginia ââ'¬" 914 (+50)
23. Ohio State ââ'¬" 926 (+62)
24. Ole Miss ââ'¬" 928 (+64)
Auburn Individuals
T47. Kelli Murphy ââ'¬" 77-75-72=224 (+8)
T57. Kaleigh Telfer ââ'¬" 75-74-77=226 (+10)
T75. Elena Hualde ââ'¬" 82-76-71=229 (+13)
T83. Kayley Marschke ââ'¬" 73-82-75=230 (+14)
T105. Michaela Owen ââ'¬" 79-81-75=235 (+19)