No. 8 Auburn edged by No. 17 Tennessee in SEC Championship final

No. 8 Auburn edged by No. 17 Tennessee in SEC Championship finalNo. 8 Auburn edged by No. 17 Tennessee in SEC Championship final

BELLEAIR, Fla. – No. 8 Auburn was narrowly defeated by No. 17 Tennessee in the championship match of the SEC Women’s Golf Championship on Tuesday at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. Auburn’s Anna Davis and Molly Brown Davidson each claimed match victories, but the Volunteers prevailed 3-2 in a dramatic finish.

"Today’s loss stings because opportunities to win an SEC Championship don’t come around often, and it’s incredibly hard to reach the final match," said Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen. "We didn’t have our best, yet it still came down to the final holes, which says a lot about this group’s fight. They’re disappointed, but also proud of what we accomplished this week. We’ll take a little time to reset, then get right back to work for NCAA Regionals, with several of our players competing in U.S. Open qualifying on May 5 in Atlanta.”

Auburn finished the 54 holes of stroke play in fourth place Sunday to qualify for match play. On Monday, the Tigers defeated No. 18 Ole Miss 5-0 in the quarterfinals before topping No. 3 Florida 3-2 in the semifinals to advance to the championship match.

Auburn sophomore Molly Brown Davidson and Tennessee’s Madison Messimer traded holes early before Davidson won Nos. 6 and 7 with pars to take a 2-up lead. Davidson added wins on Nos. 10 and 12, then made a birdie on the par-5 14th hole to secure a 5&4 victory and give Auburn its first point.

Tennessee’s Manassanan Chotikabhukk took a 1-up lead over Auburn’s Anna Davis through two holes, but Davis responded with a win on No. 4 and another with a birdie on No. 7 to take a 1-up lead. The match was all square at the turn, and the two traded holes on Nos. 11 and 12. Davis then made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 to take a 2-up lead and went on to win 2&1.

Tennessee’s Sophie Christopher defeated Auburn’s Katie Cranston 6&5, while the Volunteers’ Sofie Engesaeth bested Auburn’s Charlotte Cantonis by the same margin. With each team claiming two matches, the championship was decided by the match between Auburn’s Carys Worby and Tennessee’s Kyra Van Kan.

Van Kan took an early 1-up lead, but Worby responded with a couple of hole wins to take a 1-up advantage through five holes. Van Kan won Nos. 7 and 10 with pars to regain the lead before Worby tied the match with a birdie on No. 11.

Van Kan then used birdies on Nos. 12 and 14 to build a 2-up lead. Worby answered with a win on the par-4 16th hole to cut the deficit to 1 up. Both players hit close approaches on No. 17, but Van Kan converted a birdie to win the hole and secure a 2&1 victory, clinching the championship for Tennessee.

The appearance marked Auburn’s first trip to the championship match since winning the title in 2021.

Auburn will learn its NCAA regional site April 29 at 4 p.m. CT. The selections will be announced on Golf Channel. NCAA regionals are scheduled for May 11-13.

 

#17 Tennessee 3, #8 Auburn 2

  1. Anna Davis (AUB) def. Manassanan Chotikabhukk (TENN) 2&1
  2. Kyra Van Kan (TENN) def. Carys Worby (AUB) 2&1
  3. Sophie Christopher (TENN) def. Katie Cranston (AUB) 6&5
  4. Molly Brown Davidson (AUB) def. Madison Messimer (TENN) 5&4
  5. Sofie Engesaeth (TENN) def. Charlotte Cantonis (AUB) 6&5