No. 7 Women’s golf claims victory at NCAA Auburn Regional

[aubiefifty 16,919]

247sports.com

Schofill leads the way as Tigers take lead after day one of NCAA Regionals

Jason Caldwell

18–23 minutes

Megan Schofill's 69 led Auburn on Monday

AUBURN, Alabama—Hosting a tournament in Auburn for the first time since a 2019 regional, the Auburn women's golf team got off to a great start on Monday in the first round of the NCAA Regional at Auburn University Club as Megan Schofill's 3-under round of 69 helped the Tigers to a first round total of 290 (+2) and the lead after day one.

The key for Schofill were the par 5's at AU Club. Making a birdie on No. 3 before giving the shot back on the fourth. With a birdie on the seventh to get back to one-under par, Schofill made eight consecutive pars before stepping up to the tee on the 16th hole. 

Playing at 496 yards and downwind, Schofill hit a drive right down the middle to set herself up with a great opportunity. Launching her second shot high into the air, Schofill's ball landed just short of the green and bounced once before rolling to within 10 feet from the hole. She knocked down the eagle put and finished with pars on the final two holes to end the day tied for the individual lead.

"It was a front left pin," Schofill said. "That hole, you really can't land anything on the green. I had 215 and I hit a 4-hybrid, which is like a 195 shot. Probably one of my best shots of the day. Right off the club face coach Kim (Hall) really thought it was going to be good. It ended up turning out perfect. Very happy with that."

Auburn holds a three-shot lead over top seed South Carolina heading into the second day with freshman Anna Davis and Anna Foster both firing rounds of 73 on Monday. Casen Weidenfeld and Katie Cranston both finished with rounds of 75 to finish off the scoring for the Tigers on a day when the AU Club proved to be a stern test for everyone in the field.

"We were talking about 'wonder how all these other teams are going to play our course?'" coach Melissa Luellen said. "We know it's hard. We know it's challenging, but you always wonder how the other teams are going to play it. It played tough. The hole locations were tough. The golf course is in really good condition. I'm very proud of the AU Club. It's a championship golf course.

"We're preparing for the national championship. We're really working on our mental toughness and building a lead and continuing to play really good golf. Just continue to build our confidence that we came in here with. We don't really care who is behind us. We just want to be up front."

With half of the field still on the course finishing play, Oregon (+10), Tulsa (+10), Houston (+10), North Carolina (+12), Georgia, East Tennessee State, Michigan, Kennesaw State and Albany rounded out the rest of the field for day one.

"I think we have just put in a lot of great preparation over the last couple of weeks," Schofill said. "We have been playing a lot of golf out here, just trying to get a great understanding of this golf course. Just trying to know it like the back of our hand. I'm really proud of myself and this group of girls. This is our first home tournament ever and it's a different feeling with different nerves. I felt like we handled the adversity and rolled with the punches really well."

Auburn will play with South Carolina and Oregon at 8 a.m. on Tuesday off the first tee. The top five teams following 54 holes will advance to the NCAA Championships.

[augolf1716 21,305]

With one round to go the women are leading by a whopping 14 strokes. Auburn is +1 for two days compared to second place Houston +15. South Carolina is ranked #2 in the nation is at +22 and currently in 7th place. Top 5 team scores advance to nationals.

Auburn University Club is a very hard course 

[augolf1716 21,305]

Got off to a terrible start we're +6 thru 4 holes on the day. We started on the front nine which is tougher than back nine. Still have a 8 stroke lead  we're +6 thru 4 holes on the day. With such a huge lead I would suspect the girls starting their rounds with not the best concentration/motivation. Just human nature at times

For example Oregon started on back nine and they are 5 under thru 5 holes 

[augolf1716 21,305]

No sooner finish my post above and Megan double's hole #4 so we're 8 over for the day atm damn

[augolf1716 21,305]

Well we've gone over the cliff we're 12 over in second place. Thank god for Anna Davis she the only one playing decent. They better get their act together on the back nine

[augolf1716 21,305]

We've settled somewhat now have a one stroke lead over Oregon. That front nine has already caused Oregon some problems

[I_M4_AU 8,004]

OK @augolf1716how do you line up a put like that?

 

Did we hold on to the slim lead?

[augolf1716 21,305]

Yes........ended up winning by 4 strokes Megan and Anna saved our ass. Let me just let everyone know about Anna Davis winning the individual at 5 under Anna is suppose to be playing high school golf this spring was an early enrollee and within a few weeks of enrolling she playing college golf. She's special also her twin brother will be here next fall to play on the men's team.

Very disappointing in total team play today shooting a 9 over today was a shock. Another good thing is the puppies from Athens did not make the cut.

 

1 Auburn 290 287 297 874 +10 2 Oregon 298 297 283 878 +14 3 North Carolina 300 292 293 885 +21 T4 South Carolina 293 305 293 891 +27 T4 Tulsa 298 298 295 891 +27 T6 Georgia 306 290 296 892 +28 T6 Houston 298 293 301 892 +28 8 Miami 305 306 304 915 +51 9 Michigan 311 304 309 924 +60 10 East Tennessee St. 308 310 314 932 +68 11 Kennesaw St. Univ.  317 317 302 936 +72 12 University at Albany 321 325 333 979 +115

 

1    Anna Davis  Auburn 73  69  69  211  -5  T2    Isabella McCauley *  Minnesota 77  72  65  214  -2  T2    Louise Rydqvist  South Carolina 69  74  71  214  -2  T2    Megan Schofill  Auburn 69  73  72  214  -2  T5    Kayla Smith  North Carolina 72  72  71  215  -1  T5    Moa Svedenskiold  Houston 72  69  74  215  -1

[augolf1716 21,305]

 

AUBURN, Ala. – No. 7 Auburn has advanced to the 2024 NCAA Championship after winning the Auburn Regional by four strokes on Wednesday. The Tigers fired a final round 297 (+9) for a 54-hole score of 874 (+10) to claim the victory. Additionally, freshman Anna Davis earned her first individual victory at the event after posting a three-round total of 211 (-5).

"All week overall I think we played a lot of really good golf," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said after the win. "I know they really wanted to win last year. We missed, and that was very painful. We didn't talk about it, but I know it was in the back of some of their heads today. It's golf and anything can happen."

After a difficult front nine, the Tigers finished with a stronger back nine on Wednesday to earn their spot in the NCAA Championship for the 22^nd time in program history and the fifth time under Luellen.

"When we got off to such a rough start, my stomach was in knots and I know theirs were too," continued Luellen. "You could tell that everybody was struggling and just feel that energy. But all of the mental work that we do with Bill Nelson, that's when it starts to come together: when you struggle and how you respond to it."

Davis recorded five birdies in her final round, including back-to-back birdies on No. 12 and No. 13 at Auburn University Club. The freshman knocked an approach from around 140 yards on No. 12 close for a birdie, then got up-and-down on the following hole for another birdie. She then made a putt of around 30 feet on the 17^th hole, a par 3, to finish at 3-under for the day.
 

"I think I was just very comfortable being at home and we've played this golf course so many times the past few weeks, so it all just felt very comfortable and consistent. Today I feel like I just gave myself a lot of chances on the last eight holes to make birdies."

Megan Schofill finished just behind Davis in a tie for second place individually at 2-under (214). Schofill bounced back after shooting 4-over on the front nine with a bogey-free 32 (-4) on the back nine to finish the round at even par (72). Schofill tied the best par-5 scoring mark in the field at 6-under over all three rounds and recorded her third top-5 individual finish of the season.
 

Redshirt sophomore Casey Weidenfeld carded a 77 (+5) on Wednesday and finished the event inside the top-20 for the sixth time this season. Her 54-hole total of 222 (+6) placed her in a tie for 16^th on the individual leaderboard. The redshirt sophomore was just three birdies shy of the most birdies in the field during the tournament with 10.

Senior Anna Foster provided the final counting score in the Tigers' winning effort on Wednesday, shooting a 79 (+7) which led to a three-round total of 227 (+11) and a tie for 25^th place finish.

The team victory marks the second of the season for Auburn after claiming the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in March.

The other teams that advanced to the NCAA Championship from the Auburn Regional include No. 14 Oregon, No. 29 North Carolina, No. 2 South Carolina and No. 47 Tulsa. Minnesota's Isabella McCauley also advanced to the championship as an individual. 

Auburn will participate in the NCAA Championship May 17-22 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa Champions Course in Carlsbad, California.

 
Auburn individuals:

 

Placement	Player	Round 1 Score	Round 2 Score	Final Round Score	Total Score
1	Anna Davis	73 (+1)	69 (-3)	69 (-3)	211 (-5)
T2	Megan Schofill	69 (-3)	73 (+1)	72 (E)	214 (-2)
T16	Casey Weidenfeld	75 (+3)	70 (-2)	77 (+5)	222 (+6)
T25	Anna Foster	73 (+1)	75 (+3)	79 (+7)	227 (+11)
T40	Katie Cranston	75 (+3)	81 (+7)	80 (+6)	232 (+16)

 

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247sports.com

Auburn holds off strong Oregon run to win regional title

Jason Caldwell

3–4 minutes

AUBURN, Alabama—It wasn't easy, but the Auburn women's golf team survived a bad day on the course and a strong finish from Oregon to edge out the Ducks to win the Auburn Regional on Wednesday. Led by true freshman Anna Davis' second consecutive round of 69 to finish the tournament at 5-under par to win the individual title, the Tigers were able to withstand a strong run by the Ducks to earn the win.

"When we got off to such a rough start, my stomach was in knots and I know that theirs was too," coach Melissa Luellen said. "You could kind of tell that everybody was struggling to feel that energy. All the mental work we do with Bill Nelson, that's when it starts to come together, when you struggle and how you respond to it."

While Oregon was -7 on its first nine holes on Wednesday while starting on the back nine, Auburn went the other direction while playing the tougher front side. The Tigers were +11 on their first four holes to turn what was a 14-shot lead into a neck-and-neck battle down the back nine.

That's when Auburn's best players came through in the clutch. After a bogey on the 10th hole to drop back to even for the day, Davis had birdies on 12, 13 and 17 to bring it home for the Tigers. Her play came on the heels of the finish from senior leader Megan Schofill. With an uncharacteristic 40 on the front side, Schofill finally got something going with a birdie on the 12th hole and caught fire from there. 

With birdies on both the par 5's on the back side, Schofill came to the 18th green trying to get up and down after her approach shot carried past the fringe and into the short rough. Facing a tough downhill chip, Schofill played it perfectly as the ball trickled down the hill and into the hole for the finishing birdie.

She finished the 54 holes at 2-under, good enough for third overall individually for the regional.

"I couldn't be more proud of Megan," Luellen said. "I told her she had a bipolar nine holes, four over and four under. Just beautiful golf on the back nine. Anna Davis getting her first college win at home and just played beautiful golf. I'm proud of the entire squad."

Davis and Schofill carried the day for an Auburn team that limped to the finish on a tough day at the Auburn University Club. Oregon was the only team to finish under par, firing a round of -5. Casey Weidenfeld's 77 was the third score of the day for the Tigers with Anna Foster firing a 79 and Katie Cranston finishing with an 80.

Auburn finished in the top spot at 10-over par with Oregon next at +14. North Carolina was third at +21 with South Carolina finishing strong a spot at +27 along with Tulsa sneaking into the top five as well at +27, both finishing one shot ahead of both Georgia and Houston. 

Auburn advances to the NCAA Championships at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. That will be held May 17-22.

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theplainsman.com

 

Auburn wins its regional, advances to national championship

Patrick Bingham | Sports Editor

5–6 minutes

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Auburn women’s golf was able to capture the regional title and a spot in the national championship tournament shooting a combined 10 strokes over par during the three day contest. The Tigers were led by early enrollee and true freshman Anna Davis who won the individual regional championship at five under par over three rounds. 

 

“You know, she's just such a chill girl. Nothing really gets her flapped too much,” head coach Melissa Luellen said of Davis. “She was so committed. It was just really fun to be out there the last few holes with her and just see how dialed in she was. So really proud of her.

 

“Getting her first college win at home and she just played beautiful golf, so I'm proud of the entire squad.”

Davis, unlike many of her teammates, was able to weather the storm on the front nine, shooting one under, before rattling off three birdies on the back nine for a final score of 69 (-3). The rest of the Tigers all posted scores of four over a piece on what proved to be the tougher half of Auburn University Club throughout the week. 

 

 

 

 

“I felt like it played harder and harder every day,” Megan Schofill said of her team’s home course.  “Greens just got a little bit more firm. This morning it was just playing pretty tough. It was pretty windy in the beginning. But luckily, on the back nine, which is usually our front nine, I liked that side a lot better and was able to make a few good putts and made some birdies coming down the stretch which was really helpful.”

Schofill made four birdies in her final eight holes to end the final day at even par and finish tied for second behind Davis on the individual leaderboard. The senior’s final birdie came off an off the green, downhill putt that required perfect touch.  

“So Coach Kim and I were just trying to decide if I should chip it or putt it,” Schofill said over her final shot. “The lie wasn't great so we just felt like putting it gave me the best opportunity to get it somewhat close. And right off the putter face I thought I had left it short and Kim was like, ‘oh, that's gonna be really good, It's gonna be really good.’ It was just a big swinger. You just had to barely get it down over the hill. I was trying to hit it five feet no more. And yeah, it just turned out perfect. I don't think I could do that again if I tried another 100 times.”

Entering the day with a 14 shot lead over the rest of the competition, Auburn fell to second early in the round after posting an 11 over total score and three-seed Oregon shooting five under after starting on the back nine. 

“We had a couple that really struggled out there today. But just knowing that you do have a team behind you and that every single shot matters and you cannot get down on yourself. You can't be sad. You can be upset, but you can get past that,” said Luellen of the team’s start. “We know how hard the golf course is. We know how hard the fourth hole plays. I think we just kind of psyched ourself out. And that was really stressful playing that hole and getting over par quickly. But like I said, the way they were able to calm down and get centered and finish strong was really proud of them.”

Auburn, alongside Oregon, North Carolina, Tusla and South Carolina, will advance from the regional round to the national championship tournament at the Omni La Costa Champions Course in Carlsbad, CA from May 17-22. 

“I think when we're all playing really good golf. We're a really good team and I truly do believe that I've been saying to these girls all year that we really can do something special,” Schofill said. 

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Patrick Bingham | Sports Editor

Patrick is a sophomore from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.

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auburntigers.com

 

Ticket Punched: No. 7 Women’s golf claims victory at NCAA Auburn Regional

Auburn University Athletics

4–5 minutes

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AUBURN, Ala. – No. 7 Auburn has advanced to the 2024 NCAA Championship after winning the Auburn Regional by four strokes on Wednesday. The Tigers fired a final round 297 (+9) for a 54-hole score of 874 (+10) to claim the victory. Additionally, freshman Anna Davis earned her first individual victory at the event after posting a three-round total of 211 (-5).

"All week overall I think we played a lot of really good golf," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said after the win. "I know they really wanted to win last year. We missed, and that was very painful. We didn't talk about it, but I know it was in the back of some of their heads today. It's golf and anything can happen."

After a difficult front nine, the Tigers finished with a stronger back nine on Wednesday to earn their spot in the NCAA Championship for the 22^nd time in program history and the fifth time under Luellen.

"When we got off to such a rough start, my stomach was in knots and I know theirs were too," continued Luellen. "You could tell that everybody was struggling and just feel that energy. But all of the mental work that we do with Bill Nelson, that's when it starts to come together: when you struggle and how you respond to it."

Davis recorded five birdies in her final round, including back-to-back birdies on No. 12 and No. 13 at Auburn University Club. The freshman knocked an approach from around 140 yards on No. 12 close for a birdie, then got up-and-down on the following hole for another birdie. She then made a putt of around 30 feet on the 17^th hole, a par 3, to finish at 3-under for the day.

🐤🐤 This approach on 12 from Anna Davis leads to a birdie followed by another on 13 ⤵️#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/C6CW3PFbhA

— Auburn Women's Golf (@AuburnWGolf) May 8, 2024

"I think I was just very comfortable being at home and we've played this golf course so many times the past few weeks, so it all just felt very comfortable and consistent. Today I feel like I just gave myself a lot of chances on the last eight holes to make birdies."

Megan Schofill finished just behind Davis in a tie for second place individually at 2-under (214). Schofill bounced back after shooting 4-over on the front nine with a bogey-free 32 (-4) on the back nine to finish the round at even par (72). Schofill tied the best par-5 scoring mark in the field at 6-under over all three rounds and recorded her third top-5 individual finish of the season.

— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) May 8, 2024

Redshirt sophomore Casey Weidenfeld carded a 77 (+5) on Wednesday and finished the event inside the top-20 for the sixth time this season. Her 54-hole total of 222 (+6) placed her in a tie for 16^th on the individual leaderboard. The redshirt sophomore was just three birdies shy of the most birdies in the field during the tournament with 10.

Senior Anna Foster provided the final counting score in the Tigers' winning effort on Wednesday, shooting a 79 (+7) which led to a three-round total of 227 (+11) and a tie for 25^th place finish.

The team victory marks the second of the season for Auburn after claiming the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in March.

The other teams that advanced to the NCAA Championship from the Auburn Regional include No. 14 Oregon, No. 29 North Carolina, No. 2 South Carolina and No. 47 Tulsa. Minnesota's Isabella McCauley also advanced to the championship as an individual. 

Auburn will participate in the NCAA Championship May 17-22 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa Champions Course in Carlsbad, California.

  Auburn individuals:

Placement	Player	Round 1 Score	Round 2 Score	Final Round Score	Total Score
1	Anna Davis	73 (+1)	69 (-3)	69 (-3)	211 (-5)
T2	Megan Schofill	69 (-3)	73 (+1)	72 (E)	214 (-2)
T16	Casey Weidenfeld	75 (+3)	70 (-2)	77 (+5)	222 (+6)
T25	Anna Foster	73 (+1)	75 (+3)	79 (+7)	227 (+11)
T40	Katie Cranston	75 (+3)	77 (+5)	80 (+8)	232 (+16)

Players Mentioned