The Gators struggled in the second round of the Gators Invitational Monday and sit in fifth place, six shots back from the leading Ole Miss Rebels.
Florida shot 11-over-par collectively and didn’t have a player break par. The team’s best finisher was Jenny Kim, who shot a 1-over-par 71. The junior is in a tie for 22nd individually and carded four birdies on the day.
Sophomore Annabell Fuller is still in contention despite shooting 2-over-par Monday. She’s one shot behind first place, which is currently shared by three golfers. Her second round featured three more birdies, but it also contained a double bogey on the par-5 seventh hole along with three bogeys.
Marina Escobar also shot 2-over-par in the second round. The sophomore’s day started off on the third hole due to the shotgun start. She began the round hot, knocking in a birdie on the par-5 third hole. However, three straight bogeys on 16, 17 and 18 resulted in a score of 72.
Senior Addie Baggarly struggled Monday and shot 6-over-par. Her inconsistent day featured five bogeys, a double bogey and a birdie. She is tied for 41st and sits at 9-over-par overall. Freshman Maisie Filler carded a 7-over-par 77 and is tied for 48th.
Sunday’s inconsistencies elevated during the second round. The Gators combined for 21 bogeys between the five players and also added three double bogeys. Those struggles leave a lot to be desired for a team that has won five straight Gator Invitationals.
Despite a poor day overall, Florida had some positives come out of Monday. Fuller is still just one stroke back from the leaders.
While she didn’t perform well in the second round, the sophomore tied her career low Sunday. If she can bounce back Tuesday, Fuller will have a good chance of taking home the individual title.
Round three will be another shotgun start, with teams beginning from all 18 holes. Fuller will lead the Gators off first and start her round from the fourth hole. Escobar will start from the fifth hole, Kim and Baggarly will share the sixth hole and Filler will begin on the seventh hole.
All the players are expected to tee off at 8:30 a.m. Live updates will be available on Golfstat.com
Contact Michael Hull at mhull@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @Michael_Hull33
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.
