SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – It was a battle for most teams at Grayhawk on Sunday, Auburn included, but after shooting 299 (+11), the Tigers are in fifth place overall and easily made the initial cut from 24 to 15 at the NCAA Championship.
"On a championship golf course, over 72 holes, you're probably going to have one off day. I would say this is our off day," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said. "We're going into tomorrow with the mindset that we are outside the top eight because it's going to be a battle. We'll bring that mindset and tenacity and focus."
Following Monday's round, the top eight teams will advance to match play.
Though it was the high round of the week for Auburn as a team on Sunday, Kaleigh Telfer and Elina Sinz both shot their low round of the tournament.
Telfer made three of her four birdies on the front nine and finished with a 1-under 71 (-1). The senior bounced back after a tough round Saturday and moved up 27 spots on the individual leaderboard. She's now tied for 20th and is tops among all Auburn players.
"Telf hit the ball really well today," Luellen said. "She did a little work on the range afterwards and responded really well. And I thought Elina was clutch. She played solid all day."
Sinz had the team's second-lowest score of the day, shooting 74 (+2) with a pair of birdies in the third round. The sophomore also climbed the leaderboard, going from 109 to 93.
Anna Foster and Mychael O'Berry had the other two counting scores for Auburn on Sunday. Foster carded a 76 (+4) while O'Berry finished with a 78 (+6). Through three rounds, Foster is tied for 34th overall and O'Berry is tied for 52nd.
Sandwiched in between the two on the leaderboard is Megan Schofill who shot 82 (+10) in the third round. The junior is still in the top 50 individually with one round to play.
The top 15 teams who advanced to Monday's fourth and final round of stroke play were Stanford (864), Oregon (873), Texas A&M (877), UCLA (878), Auburn (885), Florida State (887), LSU (888), San Jose State (888), USC (892), Georgia (892), Purdue (893), Arizona State (894), Texas (901), Virginia (901) and South Carolina (903).
Auburn will tee off the fourth round at 12:55 p.m. CT with the goal of making the top eight and advancing to match play. The Tigers will be paired with UCLA and Florida State.
"We have nothing to protect," Luellen said. "We might be in the top eight at the end of the day today, but we have nothing to protect."
Team Standings
1. Stanford – 864 (E)
2. Oregon – 873 (+9)
3. Texas A&M – 877 (+13)
4. UCLA – 878 (+14)
5. Auburn – 885 (+21)
6. Florida State – 887 (+23)
T7. LSU – 888 (+24)
T7. San Jose State – 888 (+24)
T9. USC – 892 (+28)
T9. Georgia – 892 (+28)
11. Purdue – 893 (+29)
12. Arizona State – 894 (+30)
T13. Texas – 901 (+37)
T13. Virginia – 901 (+37)
T15. South Carolina – 903 (+39)
T15. Wake Forest – 903 (+39)
17. Mississippi State – 905 (+41)
18. Baylor – 906 (+42)
19. Oklahoma State – 907 (+43)
20. Michigan – 911 (+47)
21. TCU – 912 (+48)
T22. Vanderbilt – 913 (+49)
T22. Arkansas – 913 (+49)
24. Alabama – 916 (+52)
Auburn Individuals
T20. Kaleigh Telfer – 72, 78, 71 (+5)
T34. Anna Foster – 76, 71, 76 (+7)
T48. Megan Schofill – 72, 70, 82 (+8)
T52. Mychael O'Berry – 76, 71, 78 (+9)
T93. Elina Sinz – 79, 78, 74 (+15)
Tigers hold steady in top five, make first NCAA cut
