BELLEAIR, Fla. (EETV) – After a couple of impressive weeks from Auburn women’s golf, the 14th ranked Lady Tigers headed to Florida to take place in the SEC Championship Tournament looking to secure their ticket to the NCAA Regionals early next month. Auburn, however, after a hot start, did not make the match-play cut, placing 9th.
Day one was a dream start for Auburn. The Tigers finished the first round in third place with a combined team 276 strokes. This was 10 off of number four South Carolina’s lead at the top, but for Auburn it was a brilliant start. Anna Davis and Carys Worby were the headliners for the Lady Tigers, shooting 65 and 66. Davis’ five-under 65 was tied for the best of all players through round one with Worby’s 66 giving her a share of fourth as well. Auburn was looking like strong contenders to push for a chance to pull some upsets in match-play.
Unfortunately, rounds two and three were not so kind. Every team on the course had a tough time on Tuesday, but Auburn had it especially bad, dropping 13 strokes from the previous day. Three Lady Tigers shot a two-over 72, which is nothing to be ashamed of on a tough day, but with the level of competition in SEC golf, one bad day can mean a drop of a couple of places down the leaderboard. Auburn did just this, falling to fifth in the field.
Needing at least eighth or better to make the match-play portion on Thursday and Friday, Auburn looked to secure their place on Wednesday in round three. However, it just wasn’t meant to be. The Tigers repeated their performance from day two almost exactly, which as stated was never a bad one, but unlike on day two, many teams took advantage of the struggling Auburn team on day three. Despite an even par round from Casey Weidenfeld, Auburn dropped to ninth and out of match-play contention.
Anna Davis and Carys Worby finished in a tie for 13th place individually, both shooting 210 over the three stroke-play rounds. Casey Weidenfeld was the only other Tiger in the top 40, placing a tied 37th with a 215. In a stacked field, a couple of bad days kept the Tigers down and now they will have to play the waiting game.
Auburn women’s golf will wait to see if and where they are headed for the NCAA Regionals for a chance to play for a national championship. The Regionals will take place from May 5 to May 7 and the fields will be announced after the end of conference tournaments.
