After breezing through the Fall’s first two tournaments with two top-five finishes, the women’s golf team will face their biggest challenge yet at the Windy City Classic on Monday.
"It will be probably the best field that we play in all Fall," coach Emily Glaser said.
No. 19 Florida’s starting lineup at the Westmoreland Country Club in Chicago, Illinois, will feature only one difference compared to its previous lineups — the addition of junior Kelly Grassel.
"Well she is from Indiana, so she has some experience … playing the type of golf course that we’ll see this week," Glaser said.
Grassel also competed at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championships on Sept. 21-22, as an individual, where she tied for 34th.
Another name people are starting to recognize after the Collegiate Championships is freshman Sam Wagner.
After taking third place in the previous tournament, Glaser awarded her with the No. 1 starting slot in the Windy City Classic.
"What really impressed me about her was that she came back, and she was really willing to have open conversations about what she wanted to do to get better," Glaser said of Wagner.
The No. 2 slot will go to Maria Torres, a junior who has placed 15th and 13th in the season’s first two tournaments, respectively.
"She’s a very consistent player, obviously, just by her finishes and things she’s done here over the last couple years," Glaser said.
Despite back-to-back top-15 finishes, Glaser wants Torres to stay on her toes, especially with the team’s underclassmen itching for a spot in the starting lineup.
Grassel and junior Karolina Vlckova will play in the three and four slots, while sophomore Taylor Tomlinson will take the fifth and final spot.
Although the Gators have their personnel covered, they’ll still have to iron out some kinks in their game before teeing off in Chicago.
"(The previous tournament) exposed some weaknesses which, early in the year, I think is very positive and is something that we want," Glaser said, "so we have a clear idea of the things that we want to work on."
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Sophomore Karolina Vlckova high fives coach Emily Glaser during the final round of the 2015 SunTrust Gator Invitational on March 8.
