Fresh off its win in the Tiger/Wave Golf Classic last weekend in New Orleans, the Auburn Women's Golf team now turns its sights to Athens, Ga. The Tigers compete in the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic Friday through Sunday at the UGA Golf Course. "We've played in this tournament as many years as I've been here so it's a familiar place for us," said head coach Kim Evans. "We're coming off really good momentum from the last tournament and the last week we've really given them a lot of time to rest and get caught up."
Auburn pulled off a close win Sunday after falling behind Texas Christian and tying LSU, co-host of the tournament with Tulane University. Other participants in New Orleans included Alabama, who finished third, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. Despite the initial deficit, the final six holes saw a steady recovery for the Tigers. Junior Cydney Clanton made an eagle to accompany the Auburn's six birdies, cinching the win. "We had spring break last week so most of us actually stayed in Auburn and practiced a lot," Clanton said. "We didn't do that necessarily as a team, but as individuals, which is good. When you're traveling it's good to get back to basics to make sure that everyone is prepared and ready to go."
Clanton said Auburn's win last year at the Liz Murphey Classic has the team excited about making the trip. Participating teams include Arkansas, South Carolina, Purdue, Wake Forest and Alabama, who the Tigers defeated by three strokes last year to take the tournament. "We're all hoping that we can get out there and bring home a win," said sophomore Haley Wilson. "We've just been practicing around, playing and working on our short game, getting ready to go for this week. We just need to stay patient and go out there and take it one shot and one hole at a time." After capturing the SEC title last year, the Tigers are looking to reach a similar crest in 2010.
Evans said that, though the team is playing sharply now, the team can always improve upon its mental state, stay fresh and not be too hard on itself when something goes wrong and create a good game plan that it can stick to. "We feel really good about the program," Evans said. "The girls are working hard, they're putting a lot into it and we're really excited about the future."."
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