CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – No. 16 Auburn women’s golf moved into first place after the second round of the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational on Saturday at Finley Golf Club in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tigers were the only team to record a round under par on Saturday, shooting 6-under 274 and holding a seven-stroke lead over second-place NC State with a 36-hole score of 555 (–5).
“Girls have really locked in on their game plans,” Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said after the round. “This course requires patience and a commitment to strategy. They are executing very well. Love that we are at the top in most statistics, especially bogey avoidance and birdies.
“It’s a tough course and anything can happen any day in team golf, so we just have to stay locked in tomorrow. It’s exciting that three of our players are near the top and have a chance to win individually, but what I love about this team is that they’re more concerned about the team win than any individual win.”
Auburn leads the field in both par-3 scoring (–2) and par-5 scoring (–8). The team is also tied with Virginia Tech for the most birdies in the event, with 32 through the first two rounds.
Auburn junior Anna Davis is tied for the individual lead through two rounds at 4-under 136 after carding a 3-under 67 on Saturday. Davis recorded five birdies in her second round, including back-to-back birdies on Nos. 10 and 11.
Sophomore Anne Fernandez also shot 67 on Saturday with four birdies. Her performance moved her up 17 spots on the individual leaderboard into a tie for fourth place at 2-under 138. Teammate Balma Dávalos is also tied for fourth after carding a 2-under 68. Dávalos’ second round extends her streak of par-or-better rounds to 10 to begin the season.
Sophomore Molly Brown Davidson provided the final counting score of the day for the Tigers, a 2-over 72. Davidson sits in 17th place on the individual leaderboard with a 36-hole total of 143 (+3).
Auburn will look to close out the tournament victory in the final round on Sunday. Live scoring will be available at scoreboard.clippd.com.
Auburn individuals:
|
Placement |
Player |
Round 1 Score |
Round 2 Score |
Total Score |
|
T1 |
69 (-1) |
67 (-3) |
136 (-4) |
|
|
T4 |
Balma Dávalos |
70 (E) |
68 (-2) |
138 (-2) |
|
T4 |
71 (+1) |
67 (-3) |
138 (-2) |
|
|
T17 |
71 (+1) |
72 (+2) |
143 (+3) |
|
|
T43 |
71 (+1) |
76 (+6) |
147 (+7) |