Florida’s women’s golf team opened its season at the Cougar Classic hosted by College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C. on Sunday.
After completing the first round of the three-day tournament, the Gators are sitting eighth on the leaderboard (+3), nine strokes behind leader Mississippi State (-6).
Coach Emily Bastel came into the weekend optimistic about her group.
“Our team is excited to head to Charleston,” Bastel said in a release prior to the event.
“We take three new players this week, who will be gaining valuable experience against a great field. This event is a great opportunity to test the things we have been working and see how competitive we can be early in the season.”
Yeamans Hall Club, a par-72 course, challenged a Florida team composed of two freshmen — Karolina Vlckova and Maria Torres; sophomore Katie Mitchell; junior Anna Young, who shot 18-over par at the tournament last year; and the 2012 Cougar Classic individual champion, junior Camilla Hedberg.
However, Hedberg will need to improve her play during the next two days if she wants a shot at defending her title.
She finished Sunday’s round tied for 47th at 3-over, trailing N.C. State’s Brittany Marchand and Mississippi State’s Ally McDonald (-6) by nine strokes.
The highest-ranked Gator in individual play was Torres at 2-under par, finishing the first day in ninth place.
Vlckova and Young are in a 12-way tie for 26th (+1). Mitchell is tied for 61st at 4-over par.
This tournament carries heavier implications than a season opener normally does. UF is one of eight Southeastern Conference schools in a 20-team field.
The other SEC teams are Auburn, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, South Carolina and LSU.
Today’s first group will tee off 7:51 a.m., but the first Gators golfer will not hit the course until Mitchell’s 10:15 a.m. tee time
Hedberg tees off at 10:24 a.m., Young at 10:33 a.m., Vlckova at 10:42 a.m. and Torres at 10:51 a.m. to round out the Gators’ group.
Follow Logan McGuire on Twitter @loganjmcguire.
