Entering its final regular season tournament of the year, the Florida women’s golf team had already notched an impressive tally of four wins. The Gators’ last four-win season was the 2016-17 season, where they also won the SEC Championship and NCAA Regional title.
Florida sent six golfers to the Chattanooga Classic this weekend. Redshirt freshman Addison Klonowski, sophomore Paula Francisco, sophomore Ines Archer, freshman Jessica Guiser and redshirt sophomore Karoline Tuttle all represented the team with freshman Elaine Widjaja competing as an individual.
Sophomore Sophie Stevens was noticeably absent from this week’s tournament. She participated in the team’s last outing, finishing tied for 26th. Last season, Stevens was named as a WGCA Freshman All-American and made her LPGA debut at the DOW Championship.
The Chattanooga Classic is hosted annually by the Honors Course, widely regarded as one of the best private courses in the country. The course is known for its commitment to exclusively hosting amateur tournaments.
In their last tournament, the Gators secured both the team and individual title. Guiser earned her maiden collegiate win to help her team clinch its 27th win at the Gator Invitational.
Archer, who ended at 2-over, led the way in round one. The team tied for fourth overall and landed six strokes behind North Carolina, which led the pack at 6-over.
Before day two began, tournament officials announced that Saturday would feature the final 36 holes in a back-to-back slate due to incoming inclement weather.
Florida is no stranger to bad weather or condensed play. Weather also shortened UF’s win in the Gator Invitational earlier this season. The Gators were able to rally in the final 36 holes on Saturday to earn their fourth win of the season.
To accomplish Florida’s fifth win of the season, the team repeated its success in two-day tournaments at the Chattanooga Classic. Archer ended as the Gators’ highest finisher. She ended the weekend in second place with Virginia senior Megan Propeck at 4-over.
Florida’s other top ten finishers included Guiser, Tuttle and Widjaja, who tied for tenth place at 6-over.
The field included two top fifteen teams: No. 10 North Carolina and No. 13 Virginia. Florida won the tournament 10 strokes ahead of both ranked squads.
The Gators’ next outing will be the SEC Championship. The tournament will be hosted at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, starting on April 14th and lasting through April 18th.
Contact Brooke Bastedo at brooke.bastedo@gmail.com. Follow her on X @BrookeBastedo.
