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Blogging From Rancho Mirage Tigers Cydney Clanton and Candace Schepperle check in at the Kraft Nabisco

Cydney Clanton

March 30, 2010

Auburn women's golfers Candace Schepperle and Cydney Clanton are competing this week at the LPGA's Kraft Nabisco Championship at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif. the pair are two of only six amateur golfers invited to compete at the tournament.

This week, Schepperle and Clanton will check in periodically from Rancho Mirage to share their experience at one of the LPGA's major championships.

Monday, March 29
First Day In California For Cydney...
Today was the first day here in California and it was a pretty stressful morning. Both my and Candace's golf clubs did not come in and we were dealing with the airlines to find our clubs. But, once we found our clubs the rest of the day was easy.

I hit balls a few places down from Michele Wie on the driving range. Then I played with the greatest player I have ever seen, plus she is one of my best friends (Candace Schepperle). Candace and I played 18 holes today and it was an easy and stress-less day. The golf course is in really good shape and it is really green, which is nice to see.

The greens aren't too fast yet but I am sure by the weekend they will be rolling. Overall, the day was good. I am glad to be here and cannot wait for the tournament to start!

Tuesday, March 30
Candace Checks In...
Cydney and I arrived in Palm Springs early Monday morning around 2 a.m., so we had pretty much been up for 24 hours from the day before. As Cydney mentioned, we had a problem we the airlines losing our clubs, but we fortunately were able to get them around noon.

It has been pretty much golf and school work since then! We played a practice round together on Monday and I slept pretty hard that night.

Since the tournament is a very sponsor-orientated event, they have a large pro-am on Tuesday and Wednesday. For everyone else to play the course they have to tee off before the tournament. So, Cydney and I decided to play the back nine at 8 a.m. this morning.

We played with my friends Jessica Korda and Alexis Thompson, who are also playing here on sponsors' exemptions. They are both in their teens so Cydney and I definitely felt old!

I decided to keep my practice and preparation pretty light today so I could be well rested for the entire week and so I could finish all my homework. It has been a great experience so far and I cannot wait to get the tournament started.