At last year’s NCAA Championships, the UF women’s golf team found itself in contention to win it all, but ultimately ended with a solid overall finish, tying for 10th out of 24 qualifying teams.
Third-year head coach Jan Dowling believes Florida’s promising conclusion to last season will serve as a “confidence booster” when it travels to Hanahan, S.C., to partake in the Cougar Classic hosted by the College of Charleston at the 6,147-yard, par-72 Yeamans Hall Golf Club on Sunday.
“The greens and the fairways are pretty big. In general, the layout is very playable,” Dowling said. “It’s a good tournament to start your fall season with.”
Experience looks to be a strong point for the Gators, as six of the eight players currently on the roster are upperclassmen.
Among those who are returning is junior Mia Piccio, who led UF last year with a 73.74 stroke average. She was also tied with senior Evan Jensen for a team-high 84 birdies in 35 rounds.
“Mia’s an obvious leader on our team from a golf standpoint,” Dowling said. “She's a mainstay for us.”
Piccio was a 2011 All-Southeastern Conference second team nominee, and recorded seven top-25 finishes last season.
Dowling also envisions Jensen as a team leader because of her even-keeled personality and consistency on the golf course.
The team added two freshmen recruits including Munich, Germany, native Lena Weichselgartner and Camilla Hedberg, the top-ranked amateur player in Spain.
Senior Marika Lendl will not compete in Sunday’s event and the other three fall tournaments since she is currently rehabbing a shoulder injury that shelved her for the majority of last season. Dowling hopes she will be ready to play in the spring.
Piccio is set to play No. 1 in the rotation on Sunday, with junior Isabelle Lendl, senior Andrea Watts, Hedberg and Jensen rounding out the remainder of the lineup.
Four of the five players in Florida’s rotation also competed at last year’s Cougar Classic.
“The more times you’ve done it, the more you know to expect. We’re comfortable,” Dowling said. “When you’re comfortable and relaxed, you play good golf.”
