Auburn women’s golf heads to Darius Rucker Intercollegiate
AUBURN, Ala. (auburntigers.com) – The Auburn women’s golf team continues its spring season this weekend at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
The tournament runs Friday–Sunday at the Long Cove Club’s Pete Dye Course (par 71, 6,208 yards) with tee times beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT Friday and Saturday and at 7 a.m. CT Sunday.
This will mark Auburn’s fourth appearance in the event, now in its fifth season. The Tigers finished 15th in 2013, tied for 10th in 2014 and tied for 14th last season. One of the biggest draws of the tournament, the teams and coaches enjoyed a private Darius Rucker concert on Thursday night following the practice rounds.
A stellar field awaits the Tigers as 10 SEC teams and the nation’s top three teams are playing in Hilton Head this weekend. Top-ranked Southern California, No. 2 Duke and No. 3 Georgia headline the field, along with No. 6 Arkansas and No. 7 Alabama. Other top-50 teams include No. 11 Oklahoma State, No. 18 Tennessee, No. 26 Furman, No. 29 Virginia, tournament host and No. 30 South Carolina, No. 40 Vanderbilt, No. 45 North Carolina and No. 50 LSU. SEC foes Kentucky and Mississippi State round out the field.
Auburn will send its same starting five to Hilton Head as it took to Puerto Rico last month. Sophomore Michaela Owen is in the No. 1 position for the second time this season. She was Auburn’s top finisher at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic, tying for 42nd place after a final-round 73 (+1). Owen enters the week with a 75.20 scoring average, second-best on the team.
Senior Alex Harrell, the team’s leader in scoring average at 75.13, is in the No. 2 spot. Senior Jamie Yun, sophomore Kelli Murphy and junior Clara Baena are in the third through fifth positions, respectively.
