The Gators left New Orleans with their best finish of the 2013-14 season.
No. 16 Florida began Round 3 of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate Championship in third place and finished the tournament in third with a score of 858 (-6), trailing tournament winner No. 2 UCLA and runner-up No. 1 USC.
It was the fifth-lowest tournament score in the team’s history and its best score in four years in the English Turn Golf & Country Club.
“It was a great tournament for us. We put together three solid rounds and played smart golf all week,” coach Emily Glaser said in a release. “The girls worked hard after a disappointing finish in California, and we saw that pay off this week.”
Every player on the Florida team shot even or below par at least once during the three rounds of competition, even though the first 36 holes were played in one day due to rain Sunday morning.
Maria Torres led the Gators during the final round, tying for third with two other golfers with a score of 210 (-6).
The freshman shot under par during each of the three rounds and left New Orleans with not only her lowest collegiate tournament score, but also a personal-best score of 69, which she shot in the final round.
“Maria had a great tournament and improved each day,” Glaser said. “Her wedge game was great this week.
Junior Sarah Schober also finished under par with a score of 214 (-2), tying for 14th place with two other golfers.
Senior Elcin Ulu and junior Camilla Hedberg both shot their lowest tournament scores of the season. Ulu tied for 32nd with a score of 219 (+3), and Hedberg tied for 27th with a score of 218 (+2).
Redshirt sophomore Katie Mitchell and freshman Karolina Vlckova, who competed as an individual, tied each other and six other players for 37th place with a score of 220 (+4).
Florida’s next tournament is the SunTrust Gator Invitational at Mark Bostick Golf Course at UF on March 14. The Gators placed third in 2013.
“We will gain a lot of confidence from this finish in California and the opportunity to play with the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams,” Glaser said.
Follow Emily Cochrane on Twitter @EmilySCochrane
