Coach Emily Glaser said on Monday the Gators can compete with any team in the nation.
And while the claim may be bold, it might also be accurate, considering how the women’s golf team finished the Fall season.
No. 12 Florida has high hopes for the Spring after capping off the Fall with a win at the Alamo Invitational in San Antonio, Texas.
But arguably the most impressive aspect of the tournament was Florida beating out Southeastern Conference rival No. 7 Arkansas by a staggering 12-stroke margin.
Consider UF’s underwhelming eighth place finish in the Windy City Collegiate in Chicago three weeks prior and the win becomes more promising.
Glaser said that after a tournament like the Collegiate, you have to dig deep and find some positive takeaways.
For Florida, it meant realizing that it had yet to reach its potential.
"We left there just knowing we were capable of more," Glaser said.
"And I think that really inspired them. … That was the biggest difference and why we were able to come through last week."
Glaser said the team’s win in San Antonio proves that it has the skills to compete with upper-echelon programs, and the players must now focus on buying into the system, which means trusting their teammates and themselves.
"We have the physical talent. It’s about getting these girls to believe that we can play with anyone on any given day," Glaser said. "And I think they’re starting to see that."
UF certainly has enough talented personnel to do the job.
Sophomore Taylor Tomlinson ended the Fall with two top-10 finishes, including sharing a win in the season-opening Cougar Classic.
Freshman Sam Wagner took home two top-25 finishes in her first season, highlighted by taking third place at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championships.
Junior Maria Torres looks poised to have a breakout year, with the third-lowest average on the team and a win at the Alamo Invitational.
Glaser must turn her attention toward a new challenge: Ensuring the momentum from the Gators’ win in San Antonio carries over into Spring.
While the NCAA has limits on teams practicing before the Spring season, Glaser and the Gators can still make particular adjustments off the course.
"We’ll just get a little more specific in the things that we’re working on," Glaser said.
"Talk about preparation, talk about our routines, talk about nutrition and all the little things that we can do to keep improving."
When Glaser was asked if — at the beginning of the season — she expected her team to be so competitive, she had a resounding response.
"I’m not surprised. I think we can play with any team in the SEC and really in the country. It’s just about believing that we can."
Follow Matt Brannon on Twitter @MattB_727
Sophomore Karolina Vlckova high fives coach Emily Glaser during the final round of the 2015 SunTrust Gator Invitational on March 8.
