Tigers 6th at NCAA East Regional

Athens, Ga.--Freshman Cydney Clanton shot a two-under-par 70 on Thursday to lead Auburn to sixth place in a 21-team field at the NCAA East Regional Women’s Golf Tournament at the University of Georgia

Auburn finished the first of three days of competition with an eight-over-par 296 total. The top eight teams advance to the national tournament. Virginia is tied with the Tigers in sixth place.

Clanton’s round included one double bogey, one bogey, three birdies and one eagle to go with 12 pars.

Candace Schepperle, a sophomore, finished at 74, one stroke ahead of senior Margaret Shirley.

Junior Mariana Macias and freshman Sarah Thead each shot a 77. The Tigers only had to count one of the 77s because only the four best scores are counted for the team total.

Duke has the first round lead at three-under-par 285. Florida is second at 290, one stroke ahead of South Carolina. Furman is fourth at 292 and Louisville is fifth at 293.

Wake Forest is eighth at 10-over-par. Georgia is in ninth at 11-over-par and one place below the cut line.

Louisville’s Sara-Maude Juneau shot the low round of 67, one stroke better than Duke’s Amanda Blumenherst and South Carolina’s Benedicte Toumpsin.

Auburn is back in action on Friday with a 12:20 p.m. CDT tee time.

“We had a real solid start and fell a little on number nine, our last hole,” said Auburn coach Kim Evans, whose team began play on the back nine. “It was a solid start with a good look at tomorrow.”

Round One