April 3, 2009

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. - Auburn junior Candace Schepperle carded a 14-over-par 86 in the second round of the LPGA's Kraft Nabisco Championship on Friday, missing the cut to the weekend.

Schepperle finished in a tie for 87th, tallying a two-day total of 14-over 158. She shot an even-par 72 in the first round and entered the second round in a tie for 30th.

The event was the third professional tournament for Schepperle to compete in. She has also competed in the 2006 Chick-fil-A Charity Championship and the 2008 CN Canadian Open.

At the Canadian Open, she tallied a 15-over-par 303 (71-76-77-79), making the cut and finishing in a tie for 78th. She was the only amateur to make the cut at the tournament held at the Otawa Hunt and Golf Club.

In her first professional tournament, the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship, Schepperle was again the only amateur to make the cut as she carded rounds of 75-68-76-72--291, finishing at 3-over-par to take a tie for 75th. The event took place just outside Atlanta, in Stockbridge, Ga., at the Eagles Landing Country Club.

Schepperle and the No. 7-ranked Auburn women's golf team will return to action April 6-7 at the SunTrust Lady Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.

Kathleen Ekey Wins Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic

Tide Finished Tied for Second

March 29, 2009

ATHENS, Ga. - Alabama senior golfer Kathleen Ekey captured her second career tournament title with a 3-under-par 69 in windy and wet conditions Sunday in the rain-shortened Liz Muprhey Collegiate Classic on the par-72, 6,335-yard University of Georgia Golf Course.

With the tournament shortened to just 18 holes after play on Friday and Saturday was rained out, the Crimson Tide finished tied for second as a team with a 14-over-par 302.

Auburn took the team title with an 11-over-par 299. Kent State equaled the Tide with a 302 with North Carolina and Ohio State finishing tied for fourth at 16-over 304. Host No. 9 Georgia and No. 8 LSU finished tied for sixth while No. 3 Virginia and No. 5 Oklahoma State finished in a tie for eighth.

"It was a difficult day with the conditions, but Kathleen's (Ekey) round was really impressive," Alabama head coach Mic Potter. "Her round was really more like five or six under par considering the win and wet conditions. I wish we could have finished a little stronger as a team, but I think we are showing the right kind of progress and this round was definitely something that we can build on. When you are getting into position to win tournaments, that's all you can ask for."

It was Ekey's second career tournament title after claiming the 2008 Crimson Tide Classic and just her second round in the 60s this season.

She teed off on No. 7 and recorded her only blemish of the round soon after with a bogey on No. 9. Ekey quickly recovered with a birdie on No. 10 to move back to even par. After reeling off six consecutive pars, Ekey strung together back-to-back birdies on holes 17 and 18 to take the tournament lead at 2-under.

She then posted a par on No. 1 before draining her fourth birdie of the afternoon with a three on the par-4 second hole. Ekey pared the final five holes to edge Kent State's Kirby Dreher, who made it close with an eagle on her 16th hole of the day to finish one shot back.

"It was brutal conditions out there today," Ekey said. "It was cold and windy and the course was still really wet. It is unbelievable that the staff here (University of Georgia Golf Course) was able to get this course ready to play.

"You had to be really patient out there today. I was fortunate to be able to put the ball in the exact spots I need to, and that is a premium on this golf course. It is exciting to get the win, but I really think our team is coming together and that is the most important thing."

Sophomore Camilla Lennarth finished tied for 13th with a 3-over par 75. Lennarth struggled down the stretch with three bogeys and a double-bogey over her final six holes. Brooke Pancake fired a 5-over 77 and finished tied for 30th while Helena Blomberg and Rhea Nair both shot a 9-over-81 to tie for 67th.

No. 6 Women's Golf Rallies Back To Win SunTrust Lady Gator Invitational

April 7, 2009

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Starting the day eight strokes out of first place, the No. 6 Auburn women's golf team rallied back to tie for the lead and eventually win the SunTrust Lady Gator Invitational team title in a sudden-death playoff. The Tigers shot the low final-round score of 22-over-par 302 to tie Duke, who had led the first two rounds of the tournament, forcing a playoff.

Patricia Sanz

On the playoff hole, freshmen Patricia Sanz and Haley Wilson led the way with birdies while junior Candace Schepperle and sophomore Cydney Clanton carded pars. Sophomore Sarah Thead rounded out Auburn scoring on the hole with a bogey.

Duke countered with three bogeys, a birdie and a par, giving the Tigers the edge in the sudden-death playoff and their third tournament title of the spring season.

"I felt after last night that we should have done better. They came out this morning and got back in the hunt after the second or third hole, so they were keyed up for it all day and they just gutted it out," said Auburn head coach Kim Evans.

With winds gusting beyond 30 miles per hour throughout the tournament, scores across the board were high. Only two individual rounds throughout the 54-hole tournament were carded at even-par as the low team score in the tournament was an 18-over 298 by Duke in the first round.

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