KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – Sophomore Jessica Yadloczky finished tied for third place and freshman Evan Jensen shot Tuesday’s best round of four-under-par 68 to help the Florida women’s golf team finish fourth among the 43 teams competing in the Edwin Watts/Kiawah Island Collegiate Classic.
Coach Jill Briles-Hinton’s Gators had a final-round, 12-over-par 300 for a three-day total of 48-over-par 912, which finished eight shots behind co-champions Miami (Fla.) and Central Arkansas and four shots behind third-place East Tennessee State. Central Arkansas, led by co-medalist Nicole Forshner, had a final-round, 6-over-par 294 for a three-day total of 40-over-par 904 to tie the Hurricanes, who shot 299. East Tennessee State, led by the other co-medalist Sinead O’Sullivan, shot 302 for 908.
Yadloczky, who was tied for the individual lead entering the final round on the par-72, 6,009-yard Cougar Point course, followed a pair of one-over 73s with a 2-over 74 for a three-day total of 220, two behind Forshner and O’Sullivan, who each shot one-under 71s to finish at 2-over-par 218.
Yadloczky, a former Lake Howell High School standout from Casselberry, started her round with a pair of bogeys and added another on the 18th hole but birdied her final hole, the par-5, 494-yard third hole. Joining her at 220 were Mississippi’s Sara Grantham (70) and host College of Charleston’s Steffi Kirchmayr (71).
Jensen, a freshman from Belleair, leaped from a tie for 63rd place to finish tied for 12th with her four-under 68. After bogeying her second hole, the sixth hole, Jensen birdied Nos. 8, 9 and 12 to get to 2-under. Then after a bogey at No. 14, Jensen birdied Nos. 18, 2 and 4 to finish her round.
Freshman Andrea Watts of Bradenton, who shot a 73 Monday, struggled to a 9-over 81 Tuesday for a 15-over-par 231 total. Redshirt sophomores Lauren Uzelatz of Lakeland and Nicole Schachner of Libertyville, Ill., each shot final rounds of 79 to finish at 239 and 247, respectively.
The Gators return to action March 8-10 at Orlando in the UCF Challenge.
EDWIN WATTS/KIAWAH ISLAND COLLEGIATE CLASSIC
Results after the final round on the par-72 Cougar Point Club (6,009 yards) course:
Top 10 teams: T1. Miami 904 (300-305-299) (+40) and Central Arkansas 904 (310-300-294) (+40); 3. East Tennessee State 908 (300-306-302) (+44); 4. Florida 912 (309-303-300) (+48); 5. Mississippi 913 (305-306-302) (+49); 6. College of Charleston 915 (307-310-298) (+51); T7. Kentucky 917 (312-302-303) (+53) and Oregon 917 (310-311-296) (+53); 9. UCF 918 (306-307-305) (+54); T10. Oregon State 924 (319-309-296) (+60) and South Florida 924 (314-304-306) (+60).
Top 10 individuals: T1. Nicole Forshner (Central Arkansas) 218 (75-72-71) (+2) and Sinead O’Sullivan (East Tennessee State) 218 (74-73-71) (+2); T3. Jessica Yadloczky (Florida) 220 (73-73-74) (+4), Sara Grantham (Mississippi) 220 (74-76-70) (+4) and Steffi Kirchmayr (College of Charleston) 220 (73-76-71) (+4); T6. Christina Hirano (Miami) 221 (75-74-72) (+5) and Stephanie Connelly (UCF) 221 (70-77-74) (+5); T8. Elisa Aoki (UCF) 222 (73-73-76) (+6), Mary Kate Bird (Nebraska) 222 (72-74-76) (+6) and Emilie Geury (Augusta State) 222 (75-72-75) (+6).
Florida individuals: T3. Jessica Yadlocsky 220 (73-73-74) (+4); T12. Evan Jensen 224 (80-76-68) (+8); T43. Andrea Watts 231 (77-73-81) (+15); T94. Lauren Uzelatz 239 (79-81-79) (+23); T143. Nicole Schachner 247 (84-84-79) (+31).