BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The No. 14 Auburn women's golf team saw their SEC Championship run fall short in the semifinals Saturday against No. 11 South Carolina but not before the Tigers knocked off No. 6 Arkansas in the quarterfinals earlier in the day.
"Nobody likes to lose," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said. "Our five young ladies don't like to lose and neither do the coaches. We played pretty good. South Carolina played really beautiful golf. We did give too many shots away, too many holes away to par. Against a good team, you just really can't do that. They played great. We could've played a little better.
"But overall, we're improving. We did better than we did last year, and we beat a really good team this morning. I'm very proud of them, and we have two more tournaments to go."
Freshman Brooke Sansom was Auburn's lone winner in the semifinal match as she was 3-up with three holes to go. The Alabama native won holes 14 and 15 to extend her lead before the match was called. She won a total of five holes in the round.
The match was ultimately decided when sophomore Julie McCarthy dropped the 14th hole, giving South Carolina a 3-1-1 victory.
However, McCarthy was one of three Tigers to win their matchup in the quarterfinal contest to help Auburn beat Arkansas, 3-1-1. McCarthy sealed her 3&1 victory with a birdie on the 17th hole. After falling behind early, she took the lead on the front nine and never relinquished it.
Junior Elena Hualde Zúñiga and sophomore Mychael O'Berry also earned victories for Auburn. Zúñiga won her back-and-forth affair with the Razorbacks' Kaylee Benton, 1-up. She fell behind on the back nine but won holes 16 and 17 to climb back in front. O'Berry pulled ahead on the fourth hole and led the rest of the way as she finished with a 3&2 victory.
Sophomore Kaleigh Telfer didn't back down from her matchup against Maria Fassi, the individual SEC champion this week, as the two were all square in a playoff hole when the match was called.
"This group is talented," Luellen said. "They're hard-working. I think you saw their competitiveness. And they have such high character. I don't know if I've ever coached a group of players in my 19 years that have this high of character. They're enjoyable to be around every day, and it makes my job as a coach that much easier.
"But I want to keep pushing them, keep pushing them for bigger and better things because they're completely capable."
Next up for Auburn is the NCAA Regionals, and this year the Tigers will be hosting one, May 6-8, at Saugahatchee Country Club. The other teams will be announced this Wednesday during the NCAA selection show at 4:30 p.m. CT on the Golf Channel.
Match Play Results – Semifinals
South Carolina def. Auburn, 3-1-1
Anita Uwadia (SC) def. Kaleigh Telfer (AU), 3&1
Emily Price (SC) def. Elena Hualde Zúñiga (AU), 4&3
Brooke Sansom (AU) def. Ana Pelaez (SC), 3&3
Lois Kaye Go (SC) def. Julie McCarthy (AU), 5&4
Mychael O'Berry (AU) and Marion Veysseyre (SC), A/S
Match Play Results – Quarterfinals
Auburn def. Arkansas, 3-1-1
Kaleigh Telfer (AU) and Maria Fassi (ARK), A/S
Elena Hualde Zúñiga (AU) def. Kaylee Benton (ARK), 1-UP
Brooke Matthews (ARK) def. Brooke Sansom (AU), 3&1
Julie McCarthy (AU) def. Ximena Gonzalez (ARK), 3&1
Mychael O'Berry (AU) def. Dylan Kim (ARK), 3&2