In an attempt to build off of its third-place finish in January’s Florida Challenge, the Florida women’s golf team traveled to California to participate in the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, which features five of the nation’s top-10 teams.
The goal of this week’s tournament, like every other, is to improve.
So far, the improvements are there as the Gators finished Sunday’s first round in fifth place with a combined 7-over-291, 10 strokes behind first-place Baylor.
Coach Emily Glaser believes that seeing unfamiliar west coast opponents will go a long way in helping them achieve that goal.
"That’s always a good challenge for us," Glaser said in a release. "Those are the teams that you’ll be seeing at the end of the year at Nationals."
Freshman Taylor Tomlinson led the charge for the Gators, shooting a team best one-over-par, placing her in a tie for 13th place overall.
Maria Torres, Camilla Hedberg and Karolina Vlckova each finished two-over-par, while sophomore Kelly Grassel finished five-over-par.
Junior Ursa Orehek, who competed as an individual, struggled throughout the day, opening with a bogey in four of her first six holes. She finished the day with a score of seven-over-par 78.
Florida will look to keep pace as Round 2 begins today.
Follow Justen Rosenberg on Twitter @RosenbergJusten