Clemson, S.C. — Gracyn Burgess shot a one-over par 73 to lead Clemson to an 8-over par 296 team score in the second round of the Evans Derby Experience at the Saugahatchee Country Club in Opelika, Alabama. Clemson is tied for 11th in the 14-team field but is just 11 shots out of fifth after 36 holes on the par 72 course.
The 14-team field includes nine of the top 20 teams in the nation and 37 of the top 100 players in the country. Clemson and Ole Miss tied for the fourth best round of the day, behind No. 2 Texas and No. 3 Duke, each at one-over par, and No. 11 Florida State at four-over par.
The second-ranked Longhorns has the team lead at 579 and are led by Kaitlyn Papp, the individual leader at two-under par. The third-ranked Duke Blue Devils are in second with a 582 after the second round. No. 8 Arkansas dropped to third after shooting an 11-over par in the second round and are one stroke ahead of the 11th-ranked Seminoles.
Burgess is the top Tiger with her one-over par 73. She started the day off with a triple-bogey but quickly turned it around and finished even for the first nine holes. The freshman from Lexington, S.C. led the team with six birdies in the second round and is tied seventh in the field of 87 with seven total birdies for the tournament.
Ivy Shepherd and Alexandra Swayne both shot a two-over par 74. Shepherd and Swayne combined had five birdies today, all five coming on the front nine. Ana Paula Valdes finished the round with a three-over par 75, while Alice Hewson finished with a 76.
“The course played really difficult today, but the girls hung in there and maintained positive attitudes,” said Head Coach Kelley Hester. “Both Gracyn and Alex got off to poor starts but turned it around. We had a solid team effort in a great field on a challenging golf course.”
The final round is set to start Monday morning. Live scoring is available at golfstat.com.
