The Florida women’s golf team is sitting in ninth place at 11-over par after the first round of the NCAA Regional Championship in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Gators were led by senior Anna Young, who shot a 1-over, 73 at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course at NC State. Young’s 73 is one stroke off her season-best score and she is in a tie for 14th place with six other golfers after the first day of play.
Freshman Taylor Tomlinson and sophomore Karolina Vlckova sit in a tie for 21st at 2-over par. Tomlinson had two birdies and four bogeys in her round, while Vlckova had three birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey on the day.
“We saw some toughness from the team today,” coach Emily Glaser said in a release. “I thought Anna and Taylor closed out their rounds well.”
Sophomore Maria Torres completed her round at 6-over par after shooting a 78. The Puerto Rico native had one birdie and seven bogeys.
Camilla Hedberg rounded out the lineup by shooting a 12-over, 84. The senior had an atrocious round as she had four double bogeys, six bogeys and two birdies. In what will be her last chance to make some noise in the NCAA tournament, the senior has fallen flat after the first day of play.
“It was a challenging day in some aspects, but the focus to me is that we have two days left to improve,” Glaser said.
No. 7 LSU paces the field after the first day in North Carolina as they are at even-par with NC State just two shots behind. Six other teams are within 10 shots of the Tigers.
In a field of 18 teams, the Gators are going to have to play better if they even want to have a shot at a respectable finish.
“The leaderboard is tight, as you expect at regionals,” Glaser said. “Tomorrow we will focus on playing smart and staying patient.”
Follow Luis Torres on Twitter @LFTorresIII
Sophomore Karolina Vlckova high fives coach Emily Glaser during the final round of the 2015 SunTrust Gator Invitational on March 8.
