Candace Schepperle Advances To U.S. Women's Amateur Quarterfinals - AuburnTigers.com

Candace Schepperle Advances To U.S. Women's Amateur Quarterfinals Cydney Clanton falls in round of 16

Aug. 6, 2009

ST. LOUIS - Auburn's Candace Schepperle picked up a pair of wins Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the United States Women's Amateur. The rising senior led nearly wire-to-wire in her first match while coming from behind for the victory in her second.

Conducted by the United States Golf Association, the U.S. Women's Amateur is a combined stroke and match play event taking place at Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis, Mo. More than 150 players competed in 36 holes of stroke play with the top 64 moving on to match play.

Schepperle, a Birmingham native, started off the day with decisive 4-and-3 victory over Molly Aronsson, a rising senior at the University of Washington. Aronsson took her only lead of the match after the second hole, but Schepperle quickly tied on No. 3 and took the lead for good on No. 5.

Aronsson would only win two more holes in the match with Schepperle building a four-hole lead.

In the Round of 16, Schepperle took on Maude-Aimee Leblanc, a rising junior at Purdue. Leblanc led throughout most of the front nine, taking the lead on the first hole, but was never able to pull away.

Schepperle squared the match on No. 9 and took the lead on No. 10, slowly building a three-hold lead for the victory.

Also competing Thursday was Auburn rising junior Cydney Clanton. The Concord, N.C., started off the day with a come-from-behind victory of her own, taking down Wake Forest's Nannette Hill, 2-and-1, in the second round. Hill won two of the first three holes of the match to take an early lead, but Clanton came back to take a lead of her own on No. 8.

Hill re-gained the lead, winning Nos. 9 and 11, but Clanton again came back to win Nos. 13. 14 and 17 for the win.

In the Round of 16, Clanton took on Southern California rising sophomore Jennifer Song, falling 2-and-1. Clanton won No. 1, but Song tied the match on No. 2 and took the lead on No. 5, a lead she would not give up as she went on to the victory.

Schepperle returns to action at 8:15 a.m., Friday, taking on Jennifer Johnson of La Quinta, Calif.

The Golf Channel is carrying live coverage of the tournament, beginning at 10:30 a.m., Friday. For more information and live scoring, check out www.uswamateur.org.