Coach Emily Glaser will be looking to lean on a squad that is returning five players and a transfer as she enters her third year at the helm of the Florida women’s golf team.
The Gators enter the fall season ranked No. 17 in the nation and are one of seven teams from the Southeastern Conference to enter the year ranked in the top 25.
Leading the team will be senior Camilla Hedberg, who was a first-team All-SEC selection in her sophomore year.
This season, Hedberg will be counted on to continue her strong play and be a leader for her team.
"She means everything. She’s been a tremendous leader for us on and off the golf course," Glaser said of Hedberg. "She’s the type of player that always sets very high standards for herself, almost to the point where it’s probably gotten in her way a little bit in the past, but I think her main goal is to just enjoy her senior year."
Junior Ursa Orehek as well as sophomores Maria Torres and Karolina Vlckova return to the team after competing in the World Amateur Team Championships in Karuizawa, Japan.
Torres was the highest finisher in the group, finishing the championships at 3-over-par. Senior Anna Young will miss the fall tournament schedule as she continues to recover from a wrist injury.
There are two new additions to the team, one of whom is freshman Taylor Tomlinson.
The Gainesville native was ranked No. 2 in the state of Florida and No. 10 in Golfweek’s girls’ junior ranking for the class of 2014. Tomlinson is the younger sister of men’s golf player J.D. Tomlinson.
The other addition is sophomore Kelly Grassel, who is a transfer from Michigan State. Grassel finished her freshman season with a 75.40 scoring average which was the lowest by a freshman in Michigan State history. She was also named Big Ten Women’s Golfer of the Week once last season.
Florida will be competing in three tournaments for the Fall semester, as they pushed back their schedule, so Torres, Orehek, and Vlckova could compete in the World Amateur Team Championships. Glaser said she wants the team to improve each day in the fall before ramping it up for the spring season.
"We’ve already talked a lot in our team meetings this year about really just staying process focused. I think that’s what’s going to benefit this team the most," Glaser said. "It’s a lot of process talk and a lot of what we can do better on a daily basis and if we do that, then we’ll get where we need to go."
Follow Luis Torres on Twitter @LFTorresIII
Camilla Hedberg putts the ball during the SunTrust Gator Invitational on March 15.
