CARLSBAD, Calif. – No. 6 Women's golf has earned one of the eight spots in the match play portion of the NCAA Championship after finishing the four rounds of stroke play in eighth place at 20-over (1172). Auburn has now reached match play in four of the last five seasons that the championship has been held.
The Tigers will face No. 1 Stanford in the quarterfinal round of the championship, with the semifinal round to follow on Tuesday.
"Commit to the finish," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said about her message to the team entering the fourth round. "If it goes long, left or right, it doesn't matter as long as you commit. No more scared swings. This golf course can really get your mind and your heart thumping, and I'm just so proud of them for fighting. The golf course is hard and can jump up and bite you at any time, so I'm just incredibly proud of our young ladies."
"Commit to the finish" 🗣️#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/3TK16hlZYR
— Auburn Women's Golf (@AuburnWGolf) May 21, 2024
When Auburn began making the turn at the Champions Course at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, it was just one shot above the projected cut line. Anna Foster and Anna Davis led the second nine charge, as they each recorded three birdies to help solidify the Tigers' match play spot.
With the team holding onto the eighth spot by one stroke over Wake Forest, Davis stuck her approach shot close on No. 9, her final hole of the day, and made a birdie to secure Auburn's position on the leaderboard.
When the pressure is on, Anna D delivers 👊
— Auburn Women's Golf (@AuburnWGolf) May 21, 2024
This approach leads to a birdie on her final hole to solidify Auburn's place in the top 8️⃣ with seedings still to be decided#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/EnW1B2cUdJ
Davis led the Tigers in the fourth round, firing a 1-under 71 that included four birdies. Her 72-hole score of 292 (+4) placed her in a tie for 19th on the individual leaderboard. The finish marks the freshman's sixth top-20 finish of the season.
Senior Anna Foster bounced back after making the turn at 5-over by going 3-under and bogey-free on her second nine and carding a 74 (+2). The senior finished the event in a tie for 53rd place at 12-over (300).
Sophomore Katie Cranston provided a counting score for the second day in a row on Monday after shooting 3-over (75). Redshirt sophomore Casey Weidenfeld improved nine strokes from Sunday's round and recorded a 76 (+4).
Although Megan Schofill's fourth round did not count toward the team score, the senior still finished the stroke play portion of the event inside the top-25 in a tie for 24th place with a 72-hole total of 293 (+5).
Auburn and Stanford will begin the quarterfinal round match at 9:40 a.m. CT. If the Tigers defeat the Cardinal on Tuesday morning, they will play the winner of the match between USC and Clemson on Tuesday afternoon.
Television coverage of the quarterfinal round will begin at Noon CT while the semifinal round coverage will begin at 5 p.m. CT on Golf Channel. Live scoring of both matches will be available online at Golfstat.com and the GolfStat mobile app.
NCAA Championship Quarterfinal Pairings:
- Anna Davis (AUB) vs. Sadie Englemann (STAN) – 9:40 a.m. CT (10th tee)
- Anna Foster (AUB) vs. Rachel Heck (STAN) – 9:50 a.m. CT (10th tee)
- Katie Cranston (AUB) vs. Kelly Xu (STAN) – 10:00 a.m. CT (10th tee)
- Casey Weidenfeld (AUB) vs. Megha Ganne (STAN) – 10:10 a.m. CT (10th tee)
- Megan Schofill (AUB) vs. Paula Martin Sampedro (STAN) – 10:20 a.m. CT (10th tee)
Auburn individuals:
| Placement | Player | Round 1 Score | Round 2 Score | Round 3 Score | Round 4 Score | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T19 | Anna Davis | 69 (-3) | 72 (E) | 80 (+8) | 71 (-1) | 292 (+4) |
| T24 | Megan Schofill | 71 (-1) | 74 (+2) | 70 (-2) | 78 (+6) | 293 (+5) |
| T53 | Anna Foster | 75 (+3) | 74 (+2) | 77 (+5) | 74 (+2) | 300 (+12) |
| T58 | Casey Weidenfeld | 70 (-2) | 70 (-2) | 85 (+13) | 76 (+4) | 301 (+13) |
| T65 | Katie Cranston | 77 (+5) | 77 (+5) | 74 (+2) | 75 (+3) | 303 (+15) |