On Saturday, the Gators secured their place in the NCAA National Championship while claiming some records along the way.
Riding a program-record 11 under par round, Florida surpassed Washington and tied South Carolina to claim a share of the NCAA Regional Championship in Baton Rouge.
"It was just an amazing day,” coach Emily Glaser said in a release. “I could not be more proud of this group and how they responded to the challenge today. It was the most patient round of team golf I have seen them play, and the timing was obviously great.”
Saturday marked UF’s second regional championship title and its first since 2008.
Junior Karolina Vlckova led Florida’s push in the final round, finishing second at 6 under par. The Czech Republic native marked a school and course record 7 under par to push Florida up the leaderboard.
“Today was a real turning point for Karolina. She played fantastic, which we know she can, but I was so proud of how she grinded out there,” Glaser said in the release. “She kept making birdies and going for more. There was no hesitation and total commitment. It was really fun to watch."
Maria Torres, who brought herself back inside the top-10 with a 1 under par total finish for seventh place, earned her lowest score of the tournament on Saturday.
The junior marked UF’s only eagle of the tournament, complimenting it with two birdies and just one bogey for a 3 under par round finish.
The rest of the squad found themselves in the top-25.
Entering Round 3 at 5 over par, Kelly Grassel found herself outside the top-30, having dropped from 10th place.
Although the junior began the round with a bogey in the first hole, Grassel managed to keep herself even across the 18-hole campaign with six bogeys and six birdies.
The Michigan State transfer finished in a shared 25th place with 5 over par.
Samantha Wagner, who began the tournament at 8 over par after a disastrous first round, carded her second under par round of the tournament to finish in 22nd place and 4 over par. However, she made three birdies and just a single bogey to finish the round 1 under par.
Sophomore Taylor Tomlinson managed to secure 25th-place with a total score of 5 over par.
“We are happy to be advancing to nationals, but I'm also pleased about the statement that we made today and the momentum that this will give us heading to Oregon," said Glaser in the release.
The Gators will compete in the NCAA National Championship in Eugene, Oregon, on May 20.
Karolina Vlckova (right) celebrates with coach Emily Glaser during the 2015 SunTrust Gator Invitational at UF's Mark Bostick Golf Course.
