Kim Evans said she didn’t have to do any coaching this week.

She just watched.

And the Auburn head women’s golf coach really liked what she saw.

Playing on their home course, the Tigers ran away with the 2011 SEC Championship by 11 strokes over second-place Alabama, to go wire-to-wire for the title at the Auburn University Club.

It’s the Auburn women’s eighth SEC team title, the seventh under Evans, and the second one in three years. Not to mention the first one at home. The Tigers are now tied with Georgia with eight SEC titles, trailing only Florida, which has 11.

“These kids had a goal to really take this tournament, and they did it from Day 1,” Evans said, as rolls of toilet paper flew behind her as the Tigers rolled the trees outside the AU Club’s clubhouse. “I’m impressed with how the did it. It’s just amazing.”

For a team that underachieved all year, according to Evans, this was the event where the Tigers wanted to put it all together – in front of their fans, on a course they play more than any other.

“This team wanted it so bad,” the head coach said. “All year we’ve been working to piece together great tournaments and individually they keep achieving, but as a team we hadn’t. And they just decided they were going to put their head in it and mainly their heart, and they pulled it off.”

The Tigers carded a three-day team score of 864, as Alabama took second (875) and LSU finished third (887).

Cydney Clanton led Auburn with a third-place individual finish at 2-under par 214 (69-72-73), while Haley Wilson finished 11th at 220 (71-77-72), Patricia (80-67-75) and Marta Sanz (73-78-71) finished tied for 14th at 222 and Carlie Yadloczky tied for 19th at 225 (70-74-81).

Tennessee sophomore Erica Popson won the individual title, shooting a 6-under 210. Georgia’s Marta Silva Zamora finished second, one stroke back of Popson at 5-under.

For Clanton it was the highlight of her senior season.

“It’s a great feeling,” she said. “This team has worked really hard all year and we haven’t necessarily got much out of it, but we finally won and it’s a great feeling.”

Wilson, who played high school golf in Phenix City at Central High School, was excited the Tigers could win for all the people who came out to watch and support them all week.

She didn’t disappoint individually, chipping in from in front of a bunker – and just a few feet from the hazard – on No. 18 for birdie.

“I was just trying to give myself a chance at par,” she said, “and hit a really good shot and it went in.”

Such was the week for the Tigers, who could seemingly do no wrong at their home course.

“We had expectations, but we tried to limit them to result and have more expectations in attitude, have more expectations in the things we can control versus the things we can’t,” Evans said. “That was kind of the team’s thing.”

And now they’re SEC champs.

“There’s probably nothing more bitter than losing one on your home course,” said Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs, who was on hand to watch the final round and trophy presentation. “There’s probably nothing sweeter than winning it here on your home course. We certainly have the sweetness today.”

| 737-2513