Gator Country

WEST POINT, Miss. - The seventh-ranked University of Florida women's golf fired a seven-over 295 in Saturday's second round, moving two spots up the leader board into a tie for fourth with a 36-hole total of 591 (+15). Only two schools shot lower than the Lady Gators on Saturday, and UF will open the final round of competition just 15 strokes off the pace.

“We had a decent round today and were able to move up a few spots, but we aren’t quite there yet,” Florida head coach Jill Briles-Hinton said. “This tournament has been a good learning experience for us so far, and now we need to turn that experience into a solid finish in the final round. We haven’t been great as a team yet this weekend, and I know we’re capable of playing better than we’ve shown.”

Junior Whitney Myers (East Berlin, Pa.) was the Lady Gators’ bright spot on the afternoon, firing a one-under 71 that featured two birdies against just one bogey. The performance marked her third round in red numbers this season, and just missed equaling her season best by a stroke. Saturday’s 71 was also a four-stroke improvement over her first-round score, and moved her into a tie for ninth with a total of
146 (+2) heading into the final 18 holes of competition.

“Whitney played a solid round for us today, which is something that we needed badly,” Briles-Hinton said. “She knows that she left a few out there, but she put up a good number. If she can play like that again tomorrow, we’ll be in a good position.”

A one-over 73 was good enough for junior Sandra Gal (Leichlingen, Germany) to hold her ground on Saturday, as she finished the day in sixth place with a 36-hole total of 143 (-1) after beginning the round in a tie for fifth. Gal turned a solid round from start to finish, orchestrating a birdie and 15 pars en route to her second-round 73. Sophomore Mallory Blackwelder (Versailles, Ky.) matched SEC Player of the Year candidate Gal on Saturday, posting a one-over 73 that moved her tournament total to a four-over 148. Like Gal, she countered two bogeys with a back-nine birdie to reach her second-round score. Blackwelder will begin the final round in an 18th-place tie, one of three Lady Gators in the top-20 heading into the final day.

Redshirt sophomore Ornella Jouven (La Ciotat, France) chipped in with a six-over 78 on Saturday, while junior Tiffany Chudy (Miramar, Fla.) posted a second-round 87 (+15). Jouven will head into Sunday’s final round in a tie for 40th place with a two-round total of 155 (+11), and Chudy will open the tournament’s final day in a tie for 57th with a score of 163 (+19).

“An SEC team can come through and play well on any given day, and that could be us tomorrow,” Briles-Hinton said. “We’re still looking to get four solid scores, but we’re getting there. We just can’t get a head of ourselves, can’t lose focus on the next shot.”

Georgia will hold the lead with a score of 576 (E), while the Bulldogs’ Garrett Phillips will tee off with a total of 139 (-5) and the individual lead, when play resumes at 9:30 a. m. EST on Saturday. Scoring will be done live on the Internet at www. golfstat. com, and can also be accessed at www. gatorzone. com.

Team Standings Through Round Two
Place School Score
1. Georgia 285-291 = 576 (E)
2. South Carolina 295-289 = 584 (+8)
3. Tennessee 292-296 = 588 (+12)
T4. Alabama 291-300 = 591 (+15)
T4. FLORIDA 296-295 = 591 (+15)
6. Arkansas 296-299 = 595 (+19)
7. LSU 294-303 = 597 (+21)
8. Vanderbilt 296-303 = 599 (+23)
9. Auburn 298-302 = 600 (+24)
10. Mississippi State 312-295 = 607 (+31)
11. Kentucky 308-308 = 616 (+40)
12. Mississippi 312-311 = 623 (+47)

Individual Top-10 Through Round Two
Place Player Score
1. Garrett Phillips (Georgia) 67-72 = 139 (-5)
T2. Jenna Pearson (South Carolina) 74-66 = 140 (-4)
T2. Marci Turner (Tennessee) 68-72 = 140 (-4)
4. Taylor Leon (Georgia) 69-72 = 141 (-3)
5. Angela Oh (Tennessee) 71-71 = 142 (-2)
6. SANDRA GAL (FLORIDA) 70-73 = 143 (-1)
T7. Helena Blomberg (Alabama) 69-75 = 144 (E)
T7. Blythe Worley (South Carolina) 70-74 = 144 (E)
T9. Rebecca Kuhn (LSU) 72-74 = 146 (+2)
T9. Camila Mori (South Carolina) 76-70 = 146 (+2)
T9. WHITNEY MYERS (FLORIDA) 75-71 = 146 (+2)
T9. Alexis Rather (LSU) 72-74 = 146 (+2)
T9. Alex Schulte (Arkansas) 74-72 = 146 (+2)
T9. Whitney Wade (Georgia) 73-73 = 146 (+2)

Florida Results Through Round Two
Place Player Score
6. Sandra Gal 70-73 = 143 (-1)
T9. Whitney Myers 75-71 = 146 (+2)
T18. Mallory Blackwelder 75-73 = 148 (+4)
T40. Ornella Jouven 77-78 = 155 (+11)
T57. Tiffany Chudy 76-87 = 163 (+19)

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