The No. 20 Florida women’s golf team didn’t have the showing it wanted on par-3 holes during its first event of the spring — the Florida Challenge in Lecanto, Florida — on Jan. 29. The Gators shot 9 over on the course’s shortest holes, a tie for the third-worst mark in the competition, hindering its chances of pulling off a victory.
Earlier this week at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, California, however, UF saw some improvements.
The Gators tied for fifth in par-3 holes out of the 18-team field, shooting 14 over, and senior Taylor Tomlinson led the individual field with a score of 2 under on par-3 holes.
Tomlinson also had the only eagle — the first hole-in-one of her career — of the tournament for the Gators, while sophomore Carlotta Ricolfi led the team in birdies with 11.
One aspect that has been an issue this spring for Florida is its No. 5 slot in the lineup. In the Florida Challenge, had freshman Addie Baggarly improved her score by two shots, UF would have won the entire tournament.
In last weekend’s Northrop Grumman Challenge, redshirt freshman Elin Esborn shot 25 over, which put her 12 to 19 strokes behind her other four teammates. Every Gator finished with a score of 13 over or better except Esborn. Had Esborn theoretically carded a 13 over, Florida would have finished fourth as opposed to seventh.
“We will take away a lot from this event,” coach Emily Glaser said in a release. “A lot of positives and a lot of things to work on to have us where we want to be in April and May.”
A story from floridagators.com contributed to this report.
Follow Chris O'Brien on Twitter @THEChrisOB and contact him at cobrien@alligator.org.
Senior Taylor Tomlinson led an overall improvement in par-3 holes for the Gators in Palos Verdes, California.
