SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – There would be no slow start for Auburn women's golf at the NCAA Championship this year. The Tigers opened with a 296 (+8) on Friday, a solid opening-round score that puts them in a tie for fourth after one day.
"A respectable start," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said. "We had that little monkey on our back from last year when we played so poorly on the first day. This was a small win. It wasn't the best day we wanted, but it wasn't a terrible day. We threw away a few shots out there, but they also hit a lot of great shots."
The Tigers were among the first teams to tee off Friday and played their best golf on the front nine with a combined 11 birdies. They were 2-under after nine holes.
Six of those 11 birdies came from Kaleigh Telfer and Megan Schofill who led the way for Auburn at even par for the round. The duo had three birdies apiece on the front nine and then both closed the day with a fourth birdie on No. 18. They are tied for sixth individually.
"I was happy for Meg and Telf," Luellen said. "Both had double bogeys, and they were able to shoot even par and fight to get that back. Hats off to them."
Anna Foster and Mychael O'Berry are in a tie for 55th on the leaderboard after both players shot 76 (+4) on Friday. Foster birdied two of her first five holes while O'Berry had three birdies in the round, including a long birdie putt on the ninth hole.
Sophomore Elina Sinz carded a 79 (+7) in the opening round and is tied for 100th.
No team finished under par at Grayhawk Golf Club on the first day. Stanford had the best round at 1-over (289), followed by Texas A&M (292), UCLA (295), Auburn (296), LSU (296), Florida State (296), Oregon (297), Alabama (298), USC (298) and Mississippi State (299) to round out the top 10.
Auburn will be part of the second wave of teams to play Saturday, teeing off the second round at 1:41 p.m. CT, and will once again be paired with Arkansas and Texas A&M. Live scoring can be found on Golfstat.com.
We must continue to stay patient and keep it simple," Luellen said. "This golf course fits our great ball striking and putting with our excellent speed. We have a confident mindset and are ready for a great day tomorrow."
Team Standings
1. Stanford – 289 (+1)
2. Texas A&M – 292 (+4)
3. UCLA – 295 (+7)
T4. Auburn – 296 (+8)
T4. LSU – 296 (+8)
T4. Florida State – 296 (+8)
7. Oregon – 297 (+9)
T8. Alabama – 298 (+10)
T8. USC – 298 (+10)
10. Mississippi State – 299 (+11)
11. TCU – 300 (+12)
T12. Wake Forest – 301 (+13)
T12. Michigan – 301 (+13)
T12. Purdue – 301 (+13)
T12. Baylor – 301 (+13)
16. Arizona State – 302 (+14)
17. Georgia – 303 (+15)
18. Virginia – 304 (+16)
19. Texas – 305 (+17)
20. South Carolina – 306 (+18)
T21. Oklahoma State – 307 (+19)
T21. San Jose State – 307 (+19)
T21. Arkansas – 307 (+19)
24. Vanderbilt – 308 (+20)
Auburn Individuals
T6. Kaleigh Telfer – 72 (E)
T6. Megan Schofill – 72 (E)
T56. Anna Foster – 76 (+4)
T56. Mychael O'Berry – 76 (+4)
T100. Elina Sinz – 79 (+7)
Auburn starts strong, opens NCAA Championship in top five
