BELLEAIR, Fla. – After placing second in the stroke play portion of the SEC Championship, No. 10 Auburn fell to No. 23 Georgia 1-3-1 in the match play quarterfinal round on Monday in Belleair, Florida. The two teams remained close throughout the round, with three of the five matches being decided on the 18th hole Pelican Golf Club.
Freshman Anna Davis provided the lone win for the Tigers, defeating Caterina Don 2-up.
Megan Schofill took a 1-up lead through two holes over LoraLie Cowart, but struggled later on the front nine and made the turn 4-down. Cowart later won the match after the 15th hole 4&3.
Katie Cranston fought back from being 2-down through five holes to tie her match against Natachanok Tunwannarux by earning wins on No. 7 and No. 10. The match remained tied until a costly second shot cost Cranston the hole on No. 17, leading to a 1-up match win for Tunwannarux.
After Georgia captured the two match wins, Davis won her match on the 18th hole for Auburn. Davis and Don went back and forth, with Davis having a 1-up advantage much of the front nine and Don taking a 1-up lead on a couple of occasions on the back nine. With the match tied, Davis took the lead with a win on the 16th hole.
The freshman then made an uphill birdie putt on No. 17 to remain tied and fired her approach to within five feet on the final hole to finish the round with another birdie and win the hole. After Davis' win, Auburn needed to claim both remaining matches to advance to the semifinal round.
Senior Anna Foster won two of her first three holes to take a 2-up lead over Bernice Ilas. Ilas battled back to tie the match on No. 6 and the lead later shifted to Ilas on the 15th hole. Foster won the following hole to tie the match again. Foster and Ilas remained tied through 18 holes and the two began extra holes on No. 10.
Casey Weidenfeld came back from dropping her first two holes to Napat Lertsadwattana to tie the match through seven holes. Weidenfeld later was 1-down before back-to-back wins on No. 12 and No. 13 to shift the lead to her. Lertsadwattana later tied the match with a birdie on the 16th hole and won the match with a win on No. 18 that clinched the win for the Bulldogs.
Foster's match was abandoned on the 10th hole and finished all-square.
Auburn returns to postseason action May 6-8, hosting an NCAA Regional at Auburn University Club. The full regional field will be revealed Wednesday, April 24, at 1 p.m. CT on Golf Channel.
Auburn vs. Georgia matches:
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Katie Cranston (AUB) vs. Natachanok Tunwannarux (UGA) | L, 1-down |
| Megan Schofill (AUB) vs. LoraLie Cowart (UGA) | L, 4&3 |
| Anna Davis (AUB) vs. Caterina Don (UGA) | W, 2-up |
| Anna Foster (AUB) vs. Savannah De Bock (UGA) | All-square |
| Casey Weidenfeld (AUB) vs. Napat Lertsadwattana (UGA) | L, 1-down |