Three players finished under par for the Gators women’s golf team in Round 1 of the SEC Women’s Championships.
Florida sits in a first-place tie with Auburn at 4-under par after both teams shot an overall round of 284. Marta Perez, who made her return along with Sierra Brooks after both participated in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur, finished three under.
Perez started the front nine with two birdies and a bogey in five holes, but she recorded two more birdies in the back nine. She currently sits tied for second on the individual leaderboard.
Freshman Clara Manzalini and redshirt sophomore Elin Esborn both finished tied for sixth after 1-under finishes for Florida. Manzalini notched two birdies on holes 13 and 14 after back-to-back bogeys in the front nine. Esborn bogied once on the front nine, but she had a strong back nine start with birdies on 10 and 11 before finishing the round with another birdie on 18.
Sophomore Addie Baggarly had a rollercoaster first round at the Greystone Golf & Country Club, carding a team-best 4-under on the front nine, then falling apart with a five-over back nine finish. She finished 1 over. Baggarly posted six birdies through 11 holes, with three of those coming consecutively on holes nine, 10 and 11.
Chaos ensued for the Jonesborough, Tennessee, native on the remaining holes.
Baggarly bogied the par-3 13th before carding a double-bogey on 14 and a triple-bogey on 15. In just three holes, the sophomore’s round went from a team-high finish at 6-under to even. Baggarly birdied the next hole, but finished her round with back-to-back bogies on 17 and 18.
Despite Baggarly’s collapse, Brooks had the worst day for the Gators on the course, with a 3-over front nine after a triple bogey on the eighth hole. Brooks answered back with two birdies, but a bogey on 15 resulted in a 2-over finish for the junior.
Follow Victor Prieto on Twitter @victorprieto_11 and contact him at vprieto@alligator.org.
Junior Marta Perez finished Day 1 of the SEC Tournament in a tie for second place at three-under par.
