The No. 10 Florida women’s golf team finished third behind champion Michigan State and runner-up Florida State after Sunday’s final round of the 38th SunTrust Gator Women’s Golf Invitational at Florida’s Mark Bostick Golf Course. The Gators matched their second-round score of 12-over 292 for a final team score of 879 (+39).
The Spartans had a final-round total of 8-over 288 to finish at 28-over 868, three strokes ahead of the Seminoles, who finished at 871 with their Sunday total of 294. Chattanooga’s Emma de Groot beat Michigan State’s Laura Kueny in a playoff to win the individual title after both golfers had finished with 54-hole totals of 2-over-par 212.
“First off, I’m very proud of the team, specifically Evan (Jensen), Jessica (Yadloczky) and Mia (Piccio) for playing solid on the last day under pressure,” Florida head coach Jan Dowling said. “They really handled themselves well under pressure and I think that experience goes a long way. Obviously we really wanted to win and it hurts, but Michigan State played really solid in their second and third rounds, as did Florida State.”
The Gator Women’s Golf Invitational served as the team’s final tournament before heading into the post-season at the SEC Championship hosted by Alabama this coming Friday through Sunday at the NorthRiver Yacht Club in Tuscaloosa.
“We don’t have a lot of time before the SEC Championship,” said Dowling. “I think it was great to be in contention because that experience is priceless. To have three players play really well under pressure will help us down the stretch. We are excited about the SEC tournament and looking forward to the challenge.”
The Gators were led by freshman Mia Piccio who missed the playoff by two shots after shooting a 2-over-par 72 for a 54-hole total of 4-over-par 214.
Sophomore Evan Jensen shot an even-par 70 Sunday to move from a tie for 19th place to solo 10th place at 8-over 218. Junior Jessica Yadloczky was a shot better, firing a 1-under-par 69 to finish at 9-over 219, moving from a tie for 27th to a tie for 11th.
Sisters Isabelle and Marika Lendl finished tied for 46th and 58th, respectively. Freshman Isabelle shot an 84 for 232, while sophomore Marika shot 81 for 236.
Four Gators played as individuals. Sophomore Andrea Watts finished tied for 21st place at 222 following a final 75. Freshman Megan Pak finished tied for 40th after a closing 77 left her at 231.
Seniors Nicole Schachner and Lauren Uzelatz closed out their Florida careers at home finishing 46th and 72nd. Schachner shot 76 for 232, while Uzelatz shot 81 for 245.
SUNTRUST GATOR WOMEN’S INVITATIONAL
At par-70, 6,002-yard Mark Bostick Golf Course, Gainesville
TEAM SCORES: 1. Michigan State 868 (294-286-288) (+28); 2. Florida State 871 (297-280-294) (+31); 3. Florida 879 (295-292-292) (+39); 4. Chattanooga 892 (299-293-300) (+52); 5. Texas A&M 897 (303-301-293) (+57); 6. UNC-Greensboro 901 (304-305-292) (+61); 7. Nebraska 902 (306-293-303) (+62); 8. Notre Dame 903 (295-300-308) (+63); 9. UCF 905 (306-293-302) (+65); 10. Georgia State 911 (312-300-302) (+71); 11. South Florida 916 (307-304-305) (+76); 12. Furman 920 (307-306-307) (+80); 13. Georgetown 930 (314-308-308) (+90); 14. FIU 939 (306-313-320) (+99); 15. Florida Atlantic 969 (321-321-327) (+129).
TOP 10 (and ties) SCORES: T1. x-Emma de Groot (Chattanooga) 212 (71-73-68) (+2) and Laura Kueny (Michigan State) 212 (73-68-71) (+2); T3. Mia Piccio (Florida) 214 (70-72-72) (+4) and Jessica Negron (Florida State) 214 (69-73-72) (+4); T5. Courtney Taylor (UNC-Greensboro) 216 (74-72-70) (+6), Macarena Silva (Florida State) 216 (74-69-73) (+6), JC Stevenson (Nebraska) 216 (73-71-72) (+6) and Aimee Neff (Michigan State) 216 (72-73-71) (+6); 9. Stephanie Kenoyer (Furman) 217 (72-73-72) (+7); 10. Evan Jensen (Florida) 218 (76-72-70) (+8).
x-won in a playoff
FLORIDA TEAM: T3. Mia Piccio 214 (70-72-72) (+4); 10. Evan Jensen 218 (76-72-70) (+8); T11. Jessica Yadloczky 219 (73-77-69) (+9); T46. Isabelle Lendl 232 (76-72-84) (+22); T58. Marika Lendl 236 (79-76-81) (+26).
FLORIDA INDIVIDUALS: T21. Andrea Watts 222 (71-76-75) (+12); T40. Megan Pak 231 (74-80-77) (+21); T46. Nicole Schachner 232 (78-78-76) (+22); 72. Lauren Uzelatz 245 (79-85-81) (+35).