The two youngest players paved the way for the No. 5 Florida women’s golf team, but it wasn’t enough as it finished the opening round of the Tar Heel Invitational at Chapel Hill, N.C., in 12th place on Friday.
Freshman Karolina Vickova (-2) is tied with four others at fifth place and is the only Gator to shoot under-par placing in the top five. Maria Torres (+2), also a freshman, finished tied for 36th.
“Our freshmen had a great day [Friday], and I’m proud of them for showing maturity on a difficult scoring day,” coach Emily Glaser said. “Overall as a team we struggled, but it wasn’t because of lack of effort.”
The rest of the Gators remained consistent as juniors Camilla Hedberg, Sarah Schober and redshirt sophomore Katie Mitchell finished Day 1 5-over.
Anna Young competed solo, making a team-leading four birdies in Round 2 of her tournament play.
“The team fought hard all day. We just didn’t take advantage of the opportunities we had,” Glaser said. “When you are playing a difficult golf course, you must capitalize on the scoring opportunities when you have them.”
No. 5 Florida placed higher than four ranked opponents – No. 2 Alabama, No. 24 South Carolina and No. 20 Michigan State.
Florida will tee off Round 2 on Saturday at the Tar Heel Invitational at 8:51 a.m.
“We have two more days, and if we stay determined and patient, we will be able to climb up the leaderboard,” Glaser said.
Follow Lawrence Laguna on Twitter @LagunaLawrence.
