Florida was eager to prove that it was capable of contending in every tournament it entered in 2012.
With fall play nearing the end, they’ve shown they could win some, too.
Entering the fall season, the Gators hadn’t recorded an outright win dating back to the Gator Women’s Golf Invitational in March.
But in coach Emily Bastel’s debut – the Cougar Classic in Hanahan, S.C. on Sept. 9-11 — Florida opened its season with a victory in a field that boasted six of the other 10 opponents in the preseason rankings.
They did so in dominating fashion, beating second-place Duke by six strokes. The Blue Devils currently rank No. 1. Florida’s tournament-low 279 (-9) in the second round topped the 284 mark that was UF's best score in the event last season.
“I don’t think we went in there with a tremendous amount of expectations,” Bastel said. “We stayed in the present very well and played our own game.”
The win restored confidence for a team that hadn’t claimed a road victory since February 2010 taking the Central District Invitational. More importantly, it was Florida’s first piece of hardware under the new coach.
But Florida was determined to prove the showing was more than a flash in a pan.
“Like every sport, you have to prove yourself every time you go out,” Bastel said.
The Gators did just that at the Dale McNamara Invitational the following week, finishing three strokes behind Arizona State for second place. It marked the Gators' second consecutive top-two finish — a feat they didn’t accomplish last season.
Regardless of wins, Bastel believes the program is still building and trying to find ways to get better. She noted that occasional mixed practices with Florida’s No. 6 ranked men’s team have also been beneficial.
“We want the men’s team to do really well because it helps to push us and better our girls.”
“I think we are each other’s biggest fans,” Bastel said.
The unity has certainly helped.
Since the start of the fall season, Florida has seen a great improvement from 2011 in both team stroke average and top-10 individual finishes.
In three tournaments this fall, UF has notched a collective stroke average of 74.11, nearly two shots lower than the 75.69 posted last season under former coach Jan Dowling last season.
“There is no defense in golf, so you can really only control yourself,” Bastel said.
“We just have to do a really good job concentrating on ourselves and not worrying about other schools when we go to tournaments.”
Florida has done just that. Individually, the players have stayed hungry. Sophomore Camilla Hedberg and senior Isabelle Lendl have combined for five top-10 finishes, including three outright wins. Lendl won both the Dale McNamara Invitational and the Tar Heel Invite, while Hedberg won the Cougar Classic.
Florida has notched six top-10 finishes, three less than all of 2011-12 season.
They’ve also recorded six even or under-par tournament scores, one more than last season. The success has propelled Florida to the No. 2 ranking.
For senior Mia Piccio, nothing has changed.
“The goal is always to win.”
Florida looks to continue its step-by-step approach on Sunday at the season's final tournament — the Betsy Rawlings Invitational in Austin, Texas. The Gators are looking to finish first or runner-up for the third time this season.
