Auburn Women’s Golf Charges Up Leaderboard Behind Cantonis’ Electric 65 at Moon Golf Invitational
MELBOURNE, Fla. - The Auburn women’s golf team came out swinging on Monday, and they didn’t miss. After a slow start to the Moon Golf Invitational, the No. 8-ranked Tigers roared back with the best round of the day - a 5-under 283 - to pull within just three shots of the lead heading into Tuesday’s final round at Suntree Country Club.
The spark? Freshman Charlotte Cantonis, who turned in the kind of round that makes you double-check the scorecard.
A 7-under 65 - her second of the season - vaulted her into a tie for seventh individually and helped Auburn slice a seven-shot deficit to No. 6 Texas A&M down to three.
“I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed a 14-shot turnaround like Charlotte did today,” said head coach Melissa Luellen. “An amazing hole-out from 85 yards for eagle finished her fantastic round. Her whole goal was to post a good score to help her team, which helped close the gap from the lead.”
Cantonis’ bounce-back was as gritty as it was impressive. After opening the tournament with a 79 (+7), she flipped the script completely in Round 2.
She was 3-under at the turn thanks to three birdies on the front nine, then kept the gas pedal down with two more birdies early on the back. The exclamation point?
That hole-out eagle on the par-5 18th - the kind of shot that changes momentum, not just for a player, but for a team.
And make no mistake, this was a total team effort. Auburn now sits solo second on the leaderboard, six shots clear of No.
7 Wake Forest in third. The Tigers are making their move thanks in part to strong play on the par 5s - they’re 5-under on those holes through 36 - and they’ve racked up 27 birdies overall, third-most in the field.
Molly Brown Davidson, who opened with a steady 70 (-2), followed it up with a 74 (+2) in Round 2. But she finished strong, closing with back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 to stay tied with Cantonis at even par for the tournament.
Auburn’s senior leadership was steady as well. One senior carded an even-par 72, putting her at 146 (+2) and tied for 17th. Redshirt senior Carys Worby also shot even par Monday, aided by a couple of back-nine birdies, and sits at 3-over (147), tied for 24th.
Anna Davis and Anne Fernandez, competing as an individual, each posted 75s (+3) in the second round. They’re both tied for 30th at 4-over (148), still within striking distance of a top-25 finish.
Now, it all comes down to Tuesday. Auburn has put itself in position to chase down a top-ranked team and potentially walk away with the title. The Tigers are trending in the right direction, and if Cantonis and company keep the momentum rolling, they’ll be tough to hold off.
Live scoring for the final round will be available on scoreboard.clippd.com.