The Gators women’s golf team completed the first round of the East Lake Cup Monday, shooting a collective 5-over-par. The team is currently in third place, trailing the leader Ole Miss by 10 strokes.
Florida had a lot of individual success on day one, as four of five UF golfers are currently in the top 10 of the tournament.
Sophomore Marina Escobar Domingo leads the way for the Gators, as she shot a 1-under-par 71. She finishes the individual competition in a four-way tie for third and two strokes behind the leaders.
Domingo had three birdies on the day, including two on the last three holes. She is paired with the No.1 golfer from South Carolina Pauline Roussin-Bouchard for match play tomorrow.
The next three Gators on the stat sheet are all tied for 10th place. Senior Addie Baggarly, sophomore Annabell Fuller and junior Clara Manzalini all shot a 2-over-par 74 Monday.
Fuller made the highlight of the day for the Gators on hole 13, when she chipped in for birdie from just off the front of the green.
Manazalini made some highlights of her own, draining two birdie putts on the day.
Freshman Maisie Filler finished a stroke behind the three tied for 10th, shooting a 3-over-par 75. She’s tied for 13th.
Off the course, senior Lauren Waidner was awarded with the East Lake Foundation’s Tom Cousins Award. The award is presented annually to a male and female golfer who “epitomizes the standards of the East Lake Foundation, both excelling academically and demonstrating extreme engagement in his or her community,” according to a release.
Waidner has been extremely active in the Gainesville community, specifically in healthcare. She’s worked with the mentoring program Starlight, which focuses on critically ill children. In 2019, she interned at UF Health Shands, and she’s currently involved with the Florida Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, visiting local schools and packaging shoes for underprivileged kids.
Florida will enter match play on Tuesday paired with the South Carolina Gamecocks.
The East Lake Cup will be shown live on the Golf Channel from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Senior Lauren Waidner hits a ball up into the air at Mark Bostick Golf Course. She was awarded with the East Lake Foundation’s Tom Cousins Award.
Michael Hull is a fourth-year journalism sports & media major and a sports writer at The Alligator. He hosts the weekly sports podcast and has worked on staff for five semesters. In the past, Hull has served as the sports editor, the men's and women's golf beat writer, the volleyball beat writer and the football beat writer.
