NEW ORLEANS – It was another difficult day at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate on Tuesday with high winds and steady rain throughout, but that didn't stop Auburn sophomore Julie McCarthy from closing strong and putting together another solid round.
McCarthy, who shot up the leaderboard Monday with a 69 (-3), finished the tournament in a tie for third overall at 1 over after shooting a 72 (E) with four birdies in Tuesday's final round.
"All of the scores were pretty high today, so I'm really proud of the team digging in," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said. "Julie birdied her last hole, and we thought she birded it to tie for the win. And then when the scores became final, we saw that she missed by one shot. She just has a ton to be proud of. She managed herself extremely well. She didn't let the weather fluster her one bit. She just played very solid golf."
Thanks to McCarthy and fellow sophomore Mychael O'Berry, who also shot a 72 (E) on Tuesday, the 11th-ranked Tigers closed out the final round with a 299 (+11) to finish 7th out of 18 teams in what will likely be one of the more difficult fields Auburn will see all season.
O'Berry birdied two of her first six holes Tuesday and made par on 14 holes as she climbed 23 spots from the day before and finished in a tie for 29th on the player leaderboard.
Freshman Brooke Sansom and sophomore Kaleigh Telfer both wrapped up the event in a tie for 50th at 15 over par, and rounding out the Auburn contingent in New Orleans was junior Elena Hualde Zúñiga who moved up each day and tied for 73rd overall at 20 over par.
Texas won the event with a 12-over 876, followed by Duke (878), USC (887), Florida (888), South Carolina (888), Houston (892), Auburn (900), Michigan State (902), Miami (907), LSU (910), North Carolina (911), North Carolina State (912), Arizona State (913), Oklahoma State (913), Washington (915), SMU (929), Tulane (940) and UC Davis (944).
Next up for the Tigers is the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, which begins on Friday, March 8 from the Long Cove Club on Hilton Head Island, S.C.
"In a really great field, we know we left a lot of shots out there," Luellen said. "We now have a little bit of time – we have a couple weeks before we head to our next tournament – and I know that we have a few specific things to work on to prepare for Darius Rucker."
Team Standings
1. Texas -- 876 (+12)
2. Duke -- 878 (+14)
3. USC -- 887 (+23)
T4. Florida -- 888 (+24)
T4. South Carolina -- 888 (+24)
6. Houston -- 892 (+28)
7. Auburn -- 900 (+36)
8. Michigan State -- 902 (+38)
9. Miami -- 907 (+43)
10. LSU -- 910 (+46)
11. North Carolina -- 911 (+47)
12. North Carolina State -- 912 (+48)
T13. Arizona State -- 913 (+49)
T13. Oklahoma State -- 913 (+49)
15. Washington -- 915 (+51)
16. SMU -- 929 (+65)
15. Tulane -- 940 (+76)
18. UC Davis -- 944 (+80)
Auburn Individuals
T3. Julie McCarthy – 76, 69, 72 (+1)
T29. Mychael O'Berry – 76, 78, 72 (+10)
T50. Brooke Sansom – 74, 78, 79 (+15)
T50. Kaleigh Telfer – 72, 82, 77 (+15)
T73. Elena Hualde Zúñiga – 80, 78, 78 (+20)