A third-place finish in the season opener for the Gators women’s golf team does not give last week’s performance sufficient justice.
The women shot a collective 24 under over 54 holes in last weekend’s Cougar Classic and finished a humble 15 strokes ahead of fourth place, only to get narrowly bested by dominant Vanderbilt and Wake Forest performances.
Florida may have left Charleston, South Carolina, without a successful title defense, but it took away a more enduring confidence that the team can contend for a national title.
This Monday, Florida will look to build on its early-season momentum at the Glass City Invitational, hosted by the University of Toledo. The No. 8 Gators will be joined by three other ranked schools (according to this week’s WGCA Coaches Poll Rankings): No. 16 Illinois, No. 19 Michigan State and No. 15 Northwestern.
The 54-hole tournament will take place over two days at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, the first time the club is hosting a tournament for the Toledo women’s team. Most recently the host of the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur, the esteemed par-72 layout has held four U.S. Open Championships and two PGA Championships in the past century.
The first two rounds will begin on Monday with an 8:45 a.m. shotgun start, followed by a third and final round beginning with Tuesday morning tee times.
In what comes as no surprise, senior Sierra Brooks will play this week as the team’s No. 1. Junior Addie Baggarly, senior Marta Perez and redshirt junior Elin Esborn round out the first four starters, with the fifth spot currently up for grabs between freshman Marina Escobar Domingo and sophomore Clara Manzalini.
Escobar Domingo, the only addition to this year’s lineup and the current 142nd ranked women’s amateur in the world, serves up an arguable case for this week’s final spot against Manzalini.
The freshman mildly underperformed last week in Charleston in comparison to her team, and finished one stroke behind Manzalini (competing as an individual). However, she’s a world-class amateur who may simply need a few more competitive reps before making a difference.
Regardless, the Gators were eerily close to snagging a win in their first event, and not much has changed for them in the week since. Expect to see some low numbers from the orange and blue this week.
Follow Jack Braverman on Twitter @jack_braverman. Contact him at jbraverman@alligator.org.
