Auburn University announced on Apr. 29 that its No. 7 ranked women’s golf team has been chosen as the No. 2 seed for the NCAA Simpsonville Regional, which will take place at the University of Louisville Golf Club in Simpsonville, Kentucky from May 11 to May 13.
The selection is significant for Auburn, marking its ninth consecutive NCAA regional appearance and the program’s thirty-first overall bid. The team aims to leverage its familiarity with the course and recent strong performances during postseason play.
Head coach Melissa Luellen said, “I actually thought we were going to end up in Ann Arbor, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been to Ann Arbor, but it hasn’t been that long since I’ve been to Simpsonville.” She added, “We played in a regional there a few years ago, so it’s nice to have some familiarity with the course. The grass is different, like Kentucky bluegrass. We’ll go a day early and spend some time at a course that has similar grass just so we can get used to it a little bit.”
Luellen also addressed the team’s seeding: “We were super close within the rankings, and I think we were barely nudged from being a No. 1 seed. Really, our focus is to go there and win the regional and win it walking away. That’s the goal.”
Auburn will compete against teams including Arkansas (No. 6), Iowa State (No. 8), Ole Miss (No. 19), Houston, Virginia Tech, Kansas State, Indiana, College of Charleston, Xavier, Western Kentucky and Murray State in this year’s regional tournament.
The Tigers head into regionals after tying their program record by winning five events during the regular season and advancing strongly through SEC Championship play.
The top five teams from each of six regional sites will move on to compete for the national title at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California from May 22-27; additionally one individual not on an advancing team from each site will earn an individual championship berth.
