Davis gets a share of second to lead Auburn to team crown in Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic

 

   In its final tuneup before the Southeastern Conference Championship, Auburn rolled to an 11-shot victory in the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, hosted by Georgia at its University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Ga.

   The tournament wrapped up with a single round Saturday, Easter eve in one of those rare March Easters, following a double round Friday. It still being March, the opening round was played in windy conditions. The wind subsided as the weekend wore on, but was still a factor in Saturday’s final round.

   It was the second year in a row Tigers, No. 10 in the updated Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings, captured the team title in the Liz Murphey.

   Auburn opened with a 2-over-par 290 over the 6,251-yard, par-72 University of Georgia Golf Course layout and then added a solid 5-under 283, the best team round of the tournament, in Friday afternoon’s second round that gave it a six-shot lead over host Georgia, No. 24 in the Scoreboard rankings, going into the final round.

   The Tigers closed with a 4-over 292 in Saturday’s final round for a 1-over 865 total.

   Their closest pursuers were a pair of SEC rivals as No. 15 Florida earned runnerup honors with a 12-over 876 total and the host Bulldogs took third place, another three shots behind the Gators with a 15-over 879 total.

   Auburn was led by its most valuable of midseason additions, Anna Davis, a freshman from Spring Valley, Calif. and No. 15 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), as the left-hander finished in a tie for second place with Florida’s Ines Archer, a freshman from France, and Georgia’s Caterina Don, a fifth-year player from Italy and No. 81 in the Women’s WAGR, all of them landing on 3-under 213.

   Davis bounced back from a 3-over 75 in the opening round’s brutal winds with a 4-under 68 in Friday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 2-under 70.

   For Davis and two of her Auburn teammates, reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Megan Schofill, a fifth-year player from Monticello, Fla. and No. 9 in the Women’s WAGR, and Casey Weidenfeld, a redshirt sophomore from Pembroke Pines, Fla. and No. 71 in the Women’s WAGR, it was a final tuneup for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship, which teed off Wednesday at Champions Retreat Golf Club.

   Davis was something of an unknown, outside of junior circles anyway, when the bucket-hatted then 16-year-old beat the best women amateur players in the world in the Augusta National Women’s Am two years ago. She hasn’t been far from the spotlight ever since.

   Davis opened this year’s Augusta National Women’s Am with a 2-under 70 Wednesday and is among the group tied for 12^th place.

   Davis seems to be settling in after joining the Auburn program in time for the spring semester. She makes the Tigers very dangerous as the postseason approaches.

   Florida, behind Archer, opened with a 7-over 295 before adding a 1-over 289 in Friday afternoon’s second round and closing with a 4-under 292 to earn runnerup honors.

   Archer bounced back from an opening round of 3-over 75 with a sparkling 5-under 67 that matched the low individual round of the tournament in Friday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 1-under 71 to gain her share of second place.

   Georgia, behind Don, matched Auburn’s opening round of 2-over 290 and added a 1-over 289 in Friday afternoon’s second round before struggling to a 300 in the final round that left the Bulldogs three shots behind Florida in third place at 15-over.

   Don has been a stalwart performer at Georgia and made sure she was at her best for her last Liz Murphey. Don was the closest pursuer to eventual champion Carla Bernat, a junior at Kansas State from Spain and No. 23 in the Women’s WAGR, after adding a sparkling 5-under 67 in Friday afternoon’s second round to her opening round of 2-under 70 to trail Bernat by one going into Saturday’s final round.

   Don struggled a little in the final round with a 4-over 76, but held her share of second place at 3-under.

   Only Bernat, Davis, Archer and Don broke par for 54 holes over the tough UGA Golf Course.

   The SEC Championship tees off with the opening round of qualifying for match play April 12 at the Pelican Club in Belleair, Fla.

   Virginia, No. 23 in the Scoreboard rankings out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, finished three shots behind Georgia in fourth place with an 18-over 882 total. The Cavaliers added a 7-over 295 in Friday afternoon’s second round to their opening-round 298 before finishing up with a solid 1-over 289.

   Kansas State, a Big 12 representative and No. 55 in the Scoreboard rankings, finished a shot behind Virginia in fifth place with a 19-over 883 total. The Wildcats, behind Bernat, opened with a 6-over 294 and added a 3-over 291 in Friday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 10-over 298.

   It was a really impressive showing by Bernat as she recorded a 3-under 69 in the difficult conditions of the opening round and then matched the 5-under 67s posted by Archer and Don in Friday afternoon’s second round. That gave Bernat a one-shot lead over Don going into Saturday’s final round.

   Bernat closed with a solid 1-under 71 for a 9-under 207 total that was six shots clear of Davis, Archer and Don. It was Bernat’s second win of the wraparound 2023-2024 season for Kansas State after transferring from Tulane.

   Bernat also opened play in the Augusta National Women’s Am Wednesday, although she struggled to a 6-over 78 at Champions Retreat.

   Another SEC entry, Alabama, No. 36 in the Scoreboard rankings, was a shot behind Kansas State in sixth place with a 20-over 884 total. The Crimson Tide opened with a 4-over 292 and added a 9-over 297 in Friday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 7-over 295.

   Reigning American Athletic Conference champion SMU, No. 26 in the Scoreboard rankings, shared seventh place with Augusta, a Sun Belt Conference entry and No. 61 in the Scoreboard rankings, as each landed on 26-over 890, six shots behind Alabama.

   The Mustangs, who stormed to a share of the team crown in the NCAA’s San Antonio Regional as a five seed last spring, bounced back from an opening-round 303 with a 4-over 292 in Friday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 7-over 295. SMU will move from the AAC to the ACC at the end of this summer.

   The Jaguars had the lead after matching par in the opening round with a 288, but struggled after that, adding a 9-over 297 in Friday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 305.

   Michigan, out of the Big Ten and No. 39 in the Scoreboard rankings, struggled in the Liz Murphey, finishing in a tie for 12^th place in the tough 17-team field with Georgia Southern, another Sun Belt Conference entry and No. 52 in the Scoreboard rankings, each landing on 37-over 901.

   The Wolverines, coming off a strong tie for second place in the Valspar Augusta Invitational earlier in March at Forest Hills Golf Club, struggled to an opening round of 305 at the UGA Golf Course and added an 8-over 296 in Friday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 310.

   Backing up Davis for Auburn was Anna Foster, a senior from Ireland who finished among a group of five players tied for seventh place with a 1-over 217 total. After struggling to a 5-over 77 in the opening round, Foster matched the low round of the tournament with a 5-under 67 in Friday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 1-over 73.

   Schofill also matched that low round of the tournament with a 5-under 67, but she did it in the difficult conditions of the opening round when her teammates, heck, most of the rest of the field, were struggling.

   Schofill backed off with a 3-over 75 in Friday afternoon’s second round and a final-round 77 as she finished among a group of players tied for 14^th place with a 3-over 219 total. 

   Katie Cranston, a sophomore from Canada, gave Auburn a third finisher inside the top 20 as she landed in a trio of players tied for 18^th place with a 4-over 220 total. Cranston matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 75 in Friday afternoon’s second round before closing with a solid 1-over 73.

   Weidenfeld struggled a little at the UGA Golf Course, sandwiching a 1-over 73 in Friday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 4-over 76s, as she finished among a trio of players tied for 40^th place at 225.

   Weidenfeld matched par in the opening round of the Augusta National Women’s Am with a 72 Wednesday at Champions Retreat and was in a group tied for 29^th place. Schofill posted a 1-over 73 at Champions Retreat and is among a group tied for 40^th place. Both are certainly in with a shot to be among the top 30 after Thursday’s second round who advance to Saturday’s final round at Augusta National.

   Georgia Southern’s Louise Reau, a freshman from France, and Augusta’s Victoria Zheng, a sophomore from Canada, finished in a tie for fifth place in the individual chase in the Liz Murphey at even-par 216, three shots behind the trio tied for second.

   Reau opened with a solid 1-over 73 and added a 75 in Friday afternoon’s second round before finishing strong with a 4-under 68. Zheng was solid in Friday’s double round, adding a 2-under 70 in the afternoon to her opening-round 71 before closing with a 3-over 75.

   Joining Auburn’s Foster in the quintet tied for seventh place at 1-over were Archer’s Florida teammate, Paula Francisco, a freshman from Spain, Virginia’s Jaclyn LaHa, a freshman from Pleasanton, Calif., the College of Charleston’s Adrian Anderson, a sophomore from Murrells Inlet, S.C., and Alabama’s Harriet Lockley, a freshman from England.

   Francisco matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 2-under 70 in Friday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 3-over 75. LaHa also matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 3-over 75 in Friday afternoon’s second round before closing with a solid 2-under 70.

   Anderson bounced back from an opening round of 4-over 76 with a 3-under 69 in Friday afternoon’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72. Lockley was one of just three players with a sub-70 opening round as she started off with a 3-under 69. Lockley added a 3-over 75 in Friday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 73.

   Michigan freshman, Sidney Yermish, a two-time PIAA Class AAA champion at Lower Merion, finished alone in 57^th place with a 230 total. Yermish, who identifies pronoun-wise as they/them/their, struggled in Friday’s double round, adding a 6-over 78 to their opening-round 79 before finishing up with a solid 1-over 73.

   Michigan is headed for the Chattanooga Classic, which tees off Sunday. The Wolverines and the rest of the conference will gather for the opening round of the Big Ten Championship April 19 at Bulle Rock Golf Course, the Pete Dye design that played host to the LPGA Championship – which morphed into the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship -- from 2005 to 2009 in Havre de Grace, Md.