MELBOURNE, Fla. – No. 21 Women’s golf finished play at the Moon Golf Invitational at Suntree Country Club in Melbourne, Florida, on Tuesday. Junior Katie Cranston tied her lowest round of the season with a final round 68 (-4) to finish the event inside the individual top 10.
“Best day for last!” Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said after the final round. “Really pleased with our fight. Par 5 play was especially good today and four players in the top 20 was a good showing. Katie (Cranston)’s birdie-birdie-birdie finish was great, and a wonderful confidence boost for her. Another solid tournament for Balma (Dávalos). Anna (Davis) hit the ball well and had lots of opportunities for birdie, but the putter was cold all week. Carys (Worby) played really solid in the final two rounds and had a good showing.”
Cranston began her day teeing off No. 7 at Suntree Country Club and was 1-under heading into No. 2. Cranston birdied the par 5 second hole before bogeying the next hole, a par 3. Cranston then caught fire and birdied each of her last three holes of the day to card a round of 4-under. The Auburn junior recorded six birdies on Tuesday, including one on each of the four par-5s.
A birdie to close out the round for Katie Cranston 🐤#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/3AJXA3mGVz
— Auburn Women's Golf (@AuburnWGolf) February 18, 2025
Cranston’s final round boosted her up 15 spots on the individual leaderboard from the end of the second round to finish in a tie for sixth place at 1-under (215) and claim her second top 10 finish of the season. Cranston finished four strokes behind the tournament’s leaders, who entered a playoff at 5-under.
As a team, the Tigers recorded their best round of the tournament on Tuesday, a 2-under 286. The team’s 54-hole total of 877 (+13) led to a seventh-place finish in the 17-team field. Auburn finished ahead of No. 9 Northwestern, No. 10 Virginia, No. 15 North Carolina and No. 19 LSU. No. 7 Florida State claimed the team title at 2-under (862).
Auburn tied Texas A&M for the best mark in the field in par-5 scoring over all three rounds at 6-under.
Freshman Balma Dávalos also had a good individual performance, finishing in a tie for 14th place at 1-over (217). Dávalos carded a round of 71 (-1) in Sunday’s first round followed by two rounds of 73 (+1). The freshman has now finished inside the top 15 in each of her last two tournaments.
Sophomore Anna Davis shot even par (72) for the second day in a row to finish the event 3-over (219). Davis’ final round featured two birdies, both on par 4s. The sophomore also had 43 pars over the course of the tournament, which was tied for the most in the field. Carys Worby, who competed in the event as an individual, fired a final round of 1-over (73). Worby also had a three-round total of 219 (+3) and both players finished in a tie for 19th place. Worby finished best among the players competing in the event as individuals.
Redshirt junior Casey Weidenfeld had her best round of the event on Tuesday, carding a 73 (+1) in the final round with two birdies. Weidenfeld finished the tournament tied for 68th individually.
Up next, Auburn will travel to Hilton Head, South Carolina, to take part in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate March 3-5. The three-day tournament at Long Cove Club will be televised on Golf Channel.
Auburn individuals:
|
Placement |
Player |
Round 1 Score |
Round 2 Score |
Final Round Score |
Total Score |
|
T6 |
73 (+1) |
74 (+2) |
68 (-4) |
215 (-1) |
|
|
T14 |
Balma Dávalos |
71 (-1) |
73 (+1) |
73 (+1) |
217 (+1) |
|
T19 |
75 (+3) |
72 (E) |
72 (E) |
219 (+3) |
|
|
T19 |
Carys Worby (I) |
76 (+4) |
70 (-1) |
73 (+1) |
219 (+3) |
|
T68 |
80 (+8) |
76 (+4) |
73 (+1) |
229 (+13) |
|
|
T70 |
77 (+5) |
76 (+4) |
77 (+5) |
230 (+14) |
|
|
T83 |
Rachel Gourley (I) |
78 (+6) |
79 (+7) |
77 (+5) |
234 (+18) |