It was a forgettable Final Round for both the Gators men’s and women’s golf teams.
Both of Florida’s squads struggled Tuesday en route to over par team totals that dropped them down their respective leaderboards.
In Chicago, the women were 18 holes away from securing their second win of the season at the Windy City Collegiate. Sitting one shot clear of next-best South Carolina, the No. 6 Gators were overcome with costly over-par rounds on a day when the rest of the field scored significantly lower. Florida’s final round 292 (4 over) was the only team score in black figures among the top seven programs on the leaderboard.
“It just looked like we got ahead of ourselves,” women’s coach Emily Glaser said in a release. “It was a classic case of trying too hard, and the harder we tried, the more we got in our own way.”
Despite the outcome of Tuesday’s final round, the Gators can take solace in a third-place finish on a demanding course like Glen View Club.
Strong individual performances from senior Sierra Brooks – who carded a two-under 70 in the Final Round to snag second place individually – and juniors Addie Baggarly and Elin Esborn should also soften the agony of losing an overnight lead.
For the men’s squad, a lackluster Final Round performance sent it home with more questions than answers.
At the Nike Golf Collegiate Invite, UF combined for a final round 293 (9 over), tied with host Oregon for the highest third round total of the 15 teams in the field.
Freshman Ricky Castillo provided the lone spark for the Gators on Tuesday. His one-under 70 was enough to tie for 15th at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club. No other teammate signed for a final round under par, and Florida stumbled one spot down the leaderboard to finish 13th of 15 teams.
A near three-week hiatus awaits the Gators, which should be enough time to sort out any flaws and lineup struggles before the last tournament of the fall: the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational.
Follow Jack Braverman on Twitter @jack_braverman. Contact him at jbraverman@alligator.org.
