Although it wasn’t the team finish UF might have wanted, Elcin Ulu did her part and also made her last round of collegiate golf a memorable one.
No. 16 Florida completed its season on Friday in a tie for 18th place at the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship in Tulsa, Okla., shooting 1169 (+49) through four rounds.
No. 3 Duke captured first-place team honors after a 10-over-par 1130 performance. Doris Chen of No. 1 USC won the individual title as she shot 274 (-6).
Florida ended up finishing high in the team scores, but its numbers improved with each round. The Gators shot 305, 292, 290 and 282 over the four days of competition.
“It was nice to end the week with our lowest team score,” coach Emily Glaser said in a release. “I’m not sure we had our best stuff here this week, but the girls fought really hard today.”
Ulu, the only senior on the Florida roster, definitely showed some fight in her final collegiate tournament. She made six birdies and shot 66 (-4) in the fourth round, marking a new career-low score. Combined with her first three rounds of 76, 73 and 71, the senior led the Gators with her 286 (+6) total and finished in a tie for 23rd place.
“The highlight of the day was watching senior Elcin Ulu fire her career-low round as a Gator,” Glaser said. “I can’t imagine a more special place to do it than the last round of the national championship. She played solid all week for us, and I am very happy for her.”
Sarah Schober finished as the second-best Gator and in a tie for 59th place. She shot rounds of 74, 73, 77 and 70 en route to a 294 (+14) total.
Camilla Hedberg ended one stroke behind Schober at 295 (+15), broken up into rounds of 76, 72, 74 and 73. She shared a spot for 67th place in the final tournament standings.
Maria Torres and Karolina Vlckova also finished close together. Torres shot rounds of 79, 74, 75 and 73 to conclude with a 301 (+21) total, while Vlckova shot rounds of 79, 79, 70 and 74 to total 302 (+22). The pair tied for 94th and 98th place, respectively.
For junior Schober and freshmen Torres and Vlckova, this showing marked their first at the NCAA Championship. Glaser believes that what they learned over the past four days, regardless of their respective finishes, will help them in seasons to come.
“The experience they gained from this week was invaluable,” Glaser said. “I think they will leave here with their eyes open and hungry for the future.”
Follow Layne Weitzel on Twitter @laynejweitzel
