HILTON HEAD, S.C. – No. 12 Women's golf secured a third-place team finish, two strokes behind champion Arizona State, with a 54-hole total of 857 (+5) at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. The Tigers fired a round of 291 (+7) on Wednesday to close out the tournament at Long Cove Club in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Auburn redshirt sophomore Casey Weidenfeld and freshman Anna Davis each earned top-10 individual honors in the event, finishing sixth and tied for ninth, respectively.
"Team is disappointed they didn't get the win as it was within reach. Such a great experience playing in the final pairings, with great teams and on the Golf Channel," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said after the tournament. "Casey [Weidenfeld] hit a 4-hybrid to four feet on the final hole and made the putt for a birdie in front of the large gallery. A really great fight from her after an early triple bogey on day one. Anna Davis had her first top-10 finish. She played great golf even with a balky putter."
The Tigers finished ahead of No. 1 Wake Forest by eight shots, No. 4 LSU by seven and host school No. 5 South Carolina by one. Auburn defeated five schools ranked inside the nation's top-10 and was the best of the nine Southeastern Conference schools in the field, improving its head-to-head record against conference opponents to 25-6 this season.
Weidenfeld carded four birdies, including a birdie on her final hole of the event following a close approach, to shoot even-par (71) in her final round and a 3-under 210 for the tournament. Weidenfeld finished the event with 13 birdies, which was tied for third most in the field.
Casey on 🎯
— Auburn Women's Golf (@AuburnWGolf) March 6, 2024
Casey Weidenfeld with a birdie on the final hole to finish the tournament 3️⃣⬇️ and with a top-10 finish#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/8k8AmYCXq0
Davis began her second nine hot with back-to-back birdies and finished with a final round 72 (+1). The freshman's three-round total of 212 (-1) is the lowest mark in the three events she has played in for the Tigers.
Anna Davis starting off the back nine with a bird 🐤
— Auburn Women's Golf (@AuburnWGolf) March 6, 2024
Tigers remain in third place at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate
📺 Golf Channel
📊 https://t.co/L8U4z3n18f pic.twitter.com/6oWEG40C0e
Megan Schofill bounced back from a difficult start to the tournament by firing even-par (71) in her final round. Schofill moved up 18 spots on the individual leaderboard from the beginning of the round to a tie for 40th place with a 54-hole total of 219 (+6).
Anna Foster and Katie Cranston each carded a 77 (+6) to close out the tournament for the Tigers on Wednesday. Foster and Cranston finished tied for 40th and tied for 63rd, respectively.
"We have to lick our wounds and get ready for the Valspar, which will now start on Friday due to inclement weather forecasted on Saturday," said Luellen.
Auburn will have a short break before its next event, the Valspar Invitational, which will be played at Forest Hills Golf Course in Augusta, Georgia, on Saturday and Sunday.
Auburn individuals:
| Placement | Player | Round 1 Score | Round 2 Score | Final Round Score | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Casey Weidenfeld | 72 (+1) | 67 (-4) | 71 (E) | 210 (-3) |
| T9 | Anna Davis | 68 (-3) | 72 (+1) | 71 (+1) | 212 (-1) |
| T40 | Megan Schofill | 74 (+3) | 74 (+3) | 71 (E) | 219 (+6) |
| T40 | Anna Foster | 70 (-1) | 72 (+1) | 77 (+6) | 219 (+6) |
| T63 | Katie Cranston | 75 (+4) | 71 (E) | 77 (+6) | 223 (+10) |