The No. 19 Florida women's golf team started Thursday's second round in fifth place, and the Gators had moved into second when their tee times began at 12:30 p.m. But on a day where a 4-over round was tops, UF did its best to hang tough in windy conditions.
The Gators shot 10-over to bring their total to 16-over after two rounds, putting them in seventh entering Saturday's third round. No. 2 UCLA is leading the pack at 8-over.
"We knew before we teed off today that the conditions were going to be difficult," coach Jan Dowling said.
Sophomore Mia Piccio didn't seem to mind the wind, firing a 2-under 70 to once again pace the Gators out of the No. 1 position. She had only one bogey, at the par-4 third, to go with three birdies.
"Mia is a very good wind player," Dowling said. "I can't wait for the next two days for her specifically."
Piccio is in third among individuals at 2-under.
Junior Andrea Watts continued to play well, carding a 2-over 74. Fellow junior Evan Jensen was able to finish with a 2-over 74 after she birdied the par-5 18th to rebound from a triple-bogey seven on 17.
Unfortunately, the difficult Transitions Golf Club wasn't as kind to the rest of the Gators. Sophomore Isabelle Lendel was even-par after eight holes but ended up shooting an 11-over-par 83. Senior Jessica Yadloczky's struggles at the NCAA Championship also continued with an 8-over 80 on Thursday.
Most of the field experienced similar issues Thursday, as top-5 teams Southern California, UCLA, Alabama, Purdue and LSU shot a combined 51-over par.
Men's Golf
The Gators men's golf team got off to fast start Thursday at their NCAA Regional.
Top-seeded Florida shot a 6-under round of 282 to lead 14 teams at Golden Ocala Golf Club, led by Bank Vongvanij's 4-under par 68. The senior is in a tie for fourth in the individual standings, trailing Oregon's Jack Dukeminier by two.
"We had a really solid day," coach Buddy Alexander said. "I really wasn't sure what to expect, but I thought we played solidly and I am happy with our start."
Sophomore Phillip Choi fired a 3-under 69 and senior Andres Echavarria shot a 1-under 71 to help Florida to the top of a congested leaderboard. Five teams lurk within three shots entering Friday's second round.
"We still have a lot of golf left to play," Alexander said. "We need to go out tomorrow and play like we did today."
Junior Michael Furci and sophomore Phillip Choi both carded identical 2-over 74's.
UF Communications contributed to this report.
