FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Auburn women's golf team was anchored by the senior trio of Kaleigh Telfer, Mychael O'Berry and Julie McCarthy on Monday as each golfer fired a 72 (+2) in the first round of the Blessings Collegiate Invitational.
McCarthy started fast with three birdies on the front nine. Telfer knocked in back-to-back birdies on 5 and 6 and then shot even par on the back nine with a third birdie on 15. And after a bogey on the first hole, O'Berry bounced back to make par on the next seven holes and closed out the front nine with a birdie on No. 9. She added another birdie on 16 and capped her round with par on the final two holes.
Tigers 🐯 and birdies 🐦 at the @BlessingsCI pic.twitter.com/xzRRgFeJH2
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) October 5, 2020
All three players are tied for 11th on the individual leaderboard. As a team, the Tigers finished the first round in a tie for fourth on the women's side after shooting a 300 (+12) on the Par-72 course at Blessings Golf Club.
"It's a tough course, but the girls stayed tough," head coach Melissa Luellen said. "Our top three played some beautiful golf for the majority of the day. Brooke (Sansom) really grinded to shoot even on the back nine to help our team score. We're ready for a good day tomorrow."
Sansom was 6-over on the front nine, but thanks to birdies on holes 13 and 16, the sophomore finished her round at 6-over and is currently in a tie for 36th overall.
Rounding out the Auburn contingent in Fayetteville was true freshman Ashley-Sinclair Curtis who carded an 88 (+16) in what was her first competition at the collegiate level.
Arkansas leads the women's field at 1-over par (289), followed by LSU (293), Florida (295), Auburn (300), Georgia (300), Ole Miss (302), Tennessee (304), South Carolina (305), Alabama (307), Texas A&M (307), Vanderbilt (314), Kentucky (316), Mississippi State (317) and Missouri (330).
Auburn will tee off from the 10th hole at 9:40 a.m. CT for Tuesday's second round. Golf Channel will provide live coverage from 2:30-6:30 p.m. CT, and live scoring can also be found on Golfstat.com.
Team Standings
1. Arkansas – 289 (+1)
2. LSU – 293 (+5)
3. Florida – 295 (+7)
T4. Auburn – 300 (+12)
T4. Georgia – 300 (+12)
6. Ole Miss – 302 (+14)
7. Tennessee – 304 (+16)
8. South Carolina – 305 (+17)
T9. Alabama – 307 (+19)
T9. Texas A&M – 307 (+19)
11. Vanderbilt – 314 (+26)
12. Kentucky – 316 (+28)
13. Mississippi State – 317 (+29)
14. Missouri – 330 (+42)
Auburn Individuals
T11. Kaleigh Telfer – 74 (+2)
T11. Mychael O'Berry – 74 (+2)
T11. Julie McCarthy – 74 (+2)
T36. Brooke Sansom –78 (+6)
T68. Ashley-Sinclair Curtis – 88 (+16)