CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – No. 16 Auburn women’s golf claimed its second team victory of the 2025-26 season Sunday after winning the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational by 15 strokes at Finley Golf Club in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Auburn junior Anna Davis won the individual title at 7-under 203, edging out Virginia Tech’s Emily Mathews by three shots.
"Beautiful golf," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said after the round. "So happy for this team. The depth and competitiveness of our squad has been preparing us for these moments. Really windy today and tough hole locations, which makes me even more proud. We led the field in birdies, bogey avoidance, par-3 scoring, par-4 scoring and par-5 scoring. That is dominating!"
Auburn was the only team in the 15-team field to card a round of par or better for the second consecutive day, following a 6-under second round with an even-par 280 in the final round. The Tigers finished the event at 5-under (835) and 15 shots clear of second place Duke. Luellen has now captured 10 team titles during her tenure at the helm of the Auburn program, including two in the team’s last three events.
As a team, Auburn dominated the par 5s at Finley Golf Club, playing them at 12-under — the best mark in the field. The Tigers also led all teams in birdies with 47.
Davis stayed under par in all three rounds over the weekend, finishing with a final-round 67 (–3) to capture her fourth collegiate individual victory. She recorded four birdies on her way to her second straight 3-under round. The Auburn junior led the field in total birdies for the tournament with 12.
"So happy for Anna for earning the win," continued Luellen. "She has been so patient waiting for putts to drop."
Sophomores Balma Dávalos and Anne Fernandez both recorded even-par rounds Sunday and tied for fourth at 2-under 208. Dávalos has yet to record a round over par this season through 11 rounds and has now finished inside the top five individually in three consecutive tournaments. Fernandez notched her second top-five finish of the season.
Molly Brown Davidson carded a 73 (+3) in her final round and finished in a tie for 17th at 6-over 216. Freshman Charlotte Cantonis also fired a 3-over 73 to conclude the event Sunday, finishing tied for 32nd on the individual leaderboard.
Up next, Auburn will play its final tournament of the fall Oct. 27–29 at The Nanea Invitational at Nanea Golf Club in Kailua, Hawaii.
Auburn individuals:
|
Placement |
Player |
Round 1 Score |
Round 2 Score |
Final Round Score |
Total Score |
|
1 |
69 (-1) |
67 (-3) |
67 (-3) |
203 (-7) |
|
|
T4 |
Balma Dávalos |
70 (E) |
68 (-2) |
70 (E) |
208 (-2) |
|
T4 |
71 (+1) |
67 (-3) |
70 (E) |
208 (-2) |
|
|
T17 |
71 (+1) |
72 (+2) |
73 (+3) |
216 (+6) |
|
|
T32 |
71 (+1) |
76 (+6) |
73 (+3) |
220 (+10) |