Compared to the rest of the SEC, the Florida women’s golf team played fairly well on Day 1 of the SEC tournament on Wednesday. For its own standards, however, UF left some to be desired as it finished with a score of 10 over, 12 strokes behind first-place Alabama.
The Greystone Golf and Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama, was a source of heavy wind, leading to some struggles for the Gators.
“The start was great but, the conditions on the back nine were very difficult,” head coach Emily Glaser said in a release. “The wind really picked up.”
In addition to Alabama, Florida trails South Carolina by seven strokes and Vanderbilt by two strokes.
Sophomore transfer Sierra Brooks led the Gators on Wednesday, finishing in a tie for seventh on the individual leaderboard with a score of even par.
Behind Brooks was sophomore Marta Perez and freshman Addie Baggarly, each carding a 3 over on the day. They currently sit in a tie for 18th going into the second round.
Lastly for the Gators was senior Taylor Tomlinson and redshirt freshman Elin Esborn. Tomlinson sits in a tie for 25th after shooting a 4 over while Esborn made her return to the lineup after a two-match absence. Esborn, however, failed to take advantage of the opportunity, shooting 10 over and finishing in a tie for 66th.
Florida had success on the course last season, winning its first SEC championship since 2008 with a score of 22 under.
For coach Emily Glaser, she is preaching focus to her players heading into Day 2 on Thursday.
“It's an interesting golf course in that even the scoreable holes you have to pay attention to what you are doing,” she said. “You have to know when to take your medicine and when to force it.”
Florida begins play on Thursday at 9:50 a.m.
Follow Chris O'Brien on Twitter @THEChrisOB and contact him at cobrien@alligator.org.
Sophomore Sierra Brooks performed admirably, but the Gators struggled as a team on Day 1 of the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic.
