BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Auburn women's golf team knocked off Vanderbilt and Alabama back-to-back in match play Saturday to advance to the finals of the SEC Championship where they will face Mississippi State on Sunday.
"It feels really good," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said. "I'm so proud of these girls. It just shows progression. We keep trying to get better, to recruit great players, great fighters. They welcome the challenge. Win or lose tomorrow, they're going to fight like crazy, and I'm going to be proud of them no matter what."
In the semifinals against Alabama, sophomore Megan Schofill changed the momentum when she forced extra holes with a birdie on the 18th hole and then won her match on the first playoff hole. Minutes after Schofill's match ended, senior Mychael O'Berry closed out her match, 2&1, and clinched a 3-1-1 victory for the Tigers.
Schofill and O'Berry won both their matches on the day. The two were dominant in the quarterfinals against Vanderbilt with Schofill winning 5&4 and O'Berry winning 7&6.
"I'm super proud of myself and our team," Schofill said. "We put in a lot of hard work, and this moment has been long coming. I think everything is just clicking, and I know we're excited for tomorrow."
"It feels great," added O'Berry. "It was tough out there today. We all played so well, and that just goes to show you how good of a team Alabama is. We grinded for it. We've been working for hard for this, so we're excited."
Kaleigh Telfer also went 2-0 in her matches Saturday. She was the first in against Alabama, winning 5&4, and in the quarterfinals, it was her putt on the 18th hole that clinched Auburn's 3-1-1 victory over Vanderbilt. The senior kept the momentum she had from stroke play where she finished as the low individual for the Tigers at 7-under par.
Senior Elena Hualde Zuniga anchored Auburn in both matches Saturday. She was all square with her opponent when the first match ended and was 1-down against Alabama.
After Julie McCarthy played the quarterfinal match, junior Brooke Sansom took her spot in the lineup for the semifinals and was all square against Alabama when the match ended.
Auburn will look to add its 10th conference title and first since 2012 on Sunday. The Tigers will tee off against Mississippi State in the SEC Championship final at 7:30 a.m. CT. The match will be televised live on SEC Network, and live scoring can be found on Golfstat.com. RESULTS
Match Play Results – Semifinals
Auburn def. Alabama, 3-1-1
Kaleigh Telfer (AU) def. Caroline Curtis (Bama), 3&2
Megan Schofill (AU) def. Benedetta Moresco (Bama), 19 holes
Brooke Sansom (AU) and Polly Mack (Bama), A/S
Mychael O'Berry (AU) def. Kenzie Wright (Bama), 2&1
Emilie Overas (Bama) def. Elena Hualde Zuniga, 1-DOWN
Match Play Results – Quarterfinals
Auburn def. Vanderbilt, 3-1-1
Megan Schofill (AU) def. Auston Kim (VU), 5&4
Tess Davenport (VU) def. Julie McCarthy (AU), 4&2
Kaleigh Telfer (AU) def. Louise Yu (VU), 1-UP
Mychael O'Berry (AU) def. Morgan Baxendale (VU), 7&6
Elena Hualde Zuniga (AU) and Celina Sattelkau (VU), A/S
