MEDINAH, Ill. – Auburn women’s golf finished third with a 54-hole score of 851 (-13) at the Illini Women’s Invitational at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, on Tuesday. Individually, Balma Dávalos tied for second place at 9-under 207.
“Finished top three and I really don’t feel as though we played well overall,” Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said after the final round. “Thrilled for Balma (Dávalos) for another strong finish. She had two doubles and fought until the end by making three birdies in a row. Happy for Katie (Cranston) to put together a good final round. We wish her luck at LPGA Qualifying Series second stage, which coincides with our next tournament in North Carolina.”
Auburn followed rounds of 4-under and 10-under with a 1-over 289 in the final round Tuesday. As a team, Auburn dominated the par 5s at Medinah Country Club, playing them at 18-under over all three rounds. The Tigers have now finished inside the top three in each of their last three appearances in the event dating back to 2022.
Katie Cranston led the Tigers in the final round with a 3-under 69 that featured four birdies. Cranston climbed 20 spots on the individual leaderboard from the end of the second round into a tie for 19th place at 3-under 213.
Dávalos closed her strong week with an even-par 72 on Tuesday. The Auburn sophomore suffered a double and a bogey on holes 14 and 15 to fall to 3-over for the day but bounced back with three consecutive birdies to card a 72 and finish the event as runner-up. She led the field in birdies with 16. Dávalos has now finished runner-up in each of her last two tournaments and has carded even-par or better in all eight rounds so far this season.
Junior Anna Davis played steadily in her final round, recording a 73 (+1) to finish at 2-under 214 and in a tie for 28th place. Anne Fernandez provided the final counting score for the Tigers on Tuesday with a 3-over 75 to finish with a 54-hole score of 219 (+3) and in a tie for 46th place.
Freshman Charlotte Cantonis, competing as an individual, finished tied for 46th place at 3-over 219.
Up next, Auburn will play in the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational at Finley Golf Club in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The event will be held Oct. 17-19.
Auburn individuals:
|
Placement |
Player |
Round 1 Score |
Round 2 Score |
Final Round Score |
Total Score |
|
T2 |
Balma Dávalos |
67 (-5) |
68 (-4) |
72 (E) |
207 (-9) |
|
T19 |
73 (+1) |
71 (-1) |
69 (-3) |
213 (-3) |
|
|
T28 |
74 (+2) |
67 (-5) |
73 (+1) |
214 (-2) |
|
|
T46 |
72 (E) |
73 (+1) |
74 (+2) |
291 (+3) |
|
|
T46 |
70 (-2) |
74 (+2) |
75 (+3) |
219 (+3) |
|
|
T71 |
76 (+4) |
72 (E) |
78 (+6) |
226 (+10) |