SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – There was no big deficit for Auburn to come back from in the final round of stroke play at the NCAA Championship this year. It didn't matter. The Tigers continued their steady week, shooting 290 (+2) in the fourth round Monday, and finished fifth overall to secure a spot in match play for the third straight time.
Auburn is one of only two teams, along with Stanford, to make match play in each of the last three NCAA Championships.
"It's just a lot of heart," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said. "By having the three seniors back, there's a reason why they came back. They came back, so they could be back here and have another chance. They're kind of the heart and soul of our team.
"The camaraderie within the team is great. They really enjoy each other and play for each other, and there's no selfishness. You can see our scores – it was a true team effort."
All five Tigers finished in the top 60 individually in the stroke play portion.
Elina Sinz had the low round of the day for Auburn on Monday, firing a 2-under 70 with five birdies. The sophomore posted a lower score every round at the NCAA Championship and finished tied for 57th on the individual leaderboard.
One of Sinz's birdies came on No. 18 where the Tigers erased any doubt about whether they were going to advance with three birdies and an eagle to close out the round. Sinz started it off with a birdie, and then it was another birdie from Mychael O'Berry, an eagle from Megan Schofill, and Kaleigh Telfer brought it home with a third birdie on the hole.
Just stop. 😱
— Auburn Women's Golf (@AuburnWGolf) May 23, 2022
Megan Schofill with an 🦅 on 18!#WarEagle | #NCAAGolf pic.twitter.com/t7JM5lYr6F
"They drove it so well to give them a chance to go for the green in two," Luellen said. "And then it was just a perfect little right-to-left helping wind, the front pin wasn't even really that scary. They just had to step up and hit a good shot, and they all did."
As a team, Auburn made 18 birdies for the round and the one eagle from Schofill.
Schofill also went low Monday, shooting a 1-under 71. The junior finished tied for 27th overall at 7-over for the weekend and was the top individual finisher for the Tigers.
Telfer and O'Berry, the two seniors, both carded a 75 (+3) in the fourth round. Telfer placed in a tie for 31st at 8-over while O'Berry was tied for 55th at 12-over. The duo has now made match play in all three NCAA Championships they've played in together.
Sophomore Anna Foster wrapped up stroke play with a 74 (+2) in the final round. Foster was the only Tigers to shoot 76 or better in all four rounds and finished in a tie for 40th.
Auburn will open match play against the fourth-seeded UCLA in the quarterfinals. The two will tee off from the 10th hole at 9:10 a.m. CT. Live scoring can be found on Golfstat.com, and live coverage on Golf Channel will begin at 11 a.m. CT.
Team Standings
1. Stanford – 1161 (+9)
2. Oregon – 1164 (+12)
3. Texas A&M – 1166 (+17)
4. UCLA – 1169 (+17)
5. Auburn – 1175 (+23)
6. Florida State – 1179 (+27)
7. San Jose State – 1181 (+29)
8. Georgia – 1182 (+30)
9. Arizona State – 1184 (+32)
10. USC – 1185 (+33)
11. LSU – 1187 (+35)
12. Purdue – 1189 (+37)
13. Texas – 1190 (+38)
14. South Carolina – 1191 (+39)
15. Virginia – 1201 (+49)
Auburn Individuals
T27. Megan Schofill – 72, 70, 82, 71 (+7)
T31. Kaleigh Telfer – 72, 78, 71, 75 (+8)
T40. Anna Foster – 76, 71, 76, 74 (+9)
T55. Mychael O'Berry – 76, 71, 78, 75 (+12)
T57. Elina Sinz – 79, 78, 74, 70 (+13)