One of golf's old adages says you’re only as good as your final round. If that’s the case, the Gators are the cream of the crop.
At the Betsy Rawls Invitational two weeks ago, after being gridlocked with Alabama for 54 holes, Florida faced a sudden-death playoff to decide a victor. Long rough, narrow fairways and slick greens decorated the course, where sophomore Camilla Hedberg outdueled Alabama’s Jennifer Kirby to capture a win for the Gators.
Florida did so in nerve-racking fashion. The atmosphere was unlike any most players had every experienced, which made it all the more special.
More importantly, it marked UF’s second team win of the fall season – the most by a Florida team since 2006 – and added energy to the lineup as it looks ahead to the spring season.
“It leaves everybody with a good taste in their mouth over the offseason because we came out on top in such a close situation,” coach Emily Bastel said. “It gets the players excited about working hard over the offseason, and obviously we’ll carry what momentum we can take out of that into the spring.”
The layoff is a chance for the players to refocus their attention to coursework and life outside of golf. But striking a balance between personal time and time on the course will be critical.
“It’s important for us to take a little time off, to be honest,” Bastel said. “We want to be peaking at the end of the fall season and remain fresh. It's important for our girls to be in good physical condition. We’ll try to get in good shape and catch up on our studies.”
Bastel acknowledged the depth of Florida’s lineup, with Hedberg and seniors Isabelle Lendl and Mia Piccio anchoring the unit. The fourth and fifth spots, however, will be grounds for competition.
A Florida player has won the individual title in every one of the team's four starts. Lendl and Hedberg combined for four individual medalist honors and currently rank No. 5 and No. 3 in player rankings.
But Bastel and her players understand the importance of taking one stroke at a time and honing their talents.
“We know that we still need to work,” Piccio said. “We aren’t too confident because we know that we still need to improve parts of our game.”
Florida will resume play on Jan. 28 when the team travels to Lecanto, Fla., for the Florida Challenge, hosted by USF.
