If some was bad, more was worse for the Florida women’s golf team on Thursday at Greystone Golf and Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama.
After struggling in the first 18 holes of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday, UF’s encore performance left much to be desired. However, the team shot 13 over on Thursday during Round 2 of play, dropping down one spot to fifth place in the standings at 23 over through 36 holes.
Conversely, South Carolina had a solid outing. The Gamecocks came ready to play in Round 2, firing a 3 over and vaulting up to the top spot in the event with an overall score of 6 over. Alabama fell to second after going 16 over on the day, settling in at 14 strokes over par.
Following the Crimson Tide was Arkansas, which put forth a 5 over to close the day at 16 over, and Georgia, which pulled off a 2 over to finish at 20 over.
Sophomore Marta Perez ruled the day for the Gators. She shot a 2 under and leapt into a tie for fifth with an overall score of 1 over.
“To see Marta come out and bounce back, it was really important for her,” coach Emily Glaser said in a release. “I’m super proud of her.”
Next on the leaderboard for UF is sophomore transfer Sierra Brooks. Brooks failed to continue her solid play, limping to a 6 over on the day after shooting even in the first round.
Following Brooks was redshirt freshman Elin Esborn, who showed vast improvement from Day 1 in which she shot a 10 over. Today, she pulled off an even par, lifting herself to 37th.
Closing it out for the Gators were freshman Addie Baggarly and senior Taylor Tomlinson. Baggarly carded a 9 over in Round 2, closing with a 12 over and a tie for 44th. Tomlinson went 10 over on the day and finished tied in 53rd with a 14 over.
Although the Gators had a less-than-ideal day in Alabama, the team only needs to finish in the top eight on Friday to advance to match play on Saturday and Sunday.
“Tomorrow, you have to try and make things a little simpler,” Emily Glaser said in the same release. “I'd like to see us play a little smarter and just to get comfortable as quickly as possible.”
UF begins Round 3 at 9:50 a.m. on Friday.
Follow Chris O'Brien on Twitter @THEChrisOB and contact him at cobrien@alligator.org.
Sophomore Marta Perez was one of two Gators to win their respective matchups in Florida's
