Gators Women’s Golf One Stroke Back of Lead At SEC Championships
Despite a slow start at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, the Florida Gators women’s golf team used a strong back nine to surge back to find itself just one stroke behind the lead after Day 1 of the SEC Championships just behind Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
Once again leading the way for Florida was junior Paula Francisco, logging a -3 in the opening round that was capped by a birdie on hole 18 to put her tied for fourth and just one stroke behind first place.
The Madrid native earned her team-leading 13th round under par this season. Sitting in front of her are Mary Miller (Ole Miss), Avery Weed (Mississippi State) and Vanessa Borovilos (Texas A&M).
“Clearly, she has been around this golf course and knows she plays really well out there, but you still have to go through the process of putting one foot in front of another,” UF coach Emily Glaser said. “I thought she did that well today and stayed patient.”
Even as the No. 1 seed in the tournament, the front nine provided several challenges for the Gators, as they combined for 11 bogeys, with Francisco reaching that mark three times.
Now at +3, Florida needed a spark. The rally started with holes 6-8, where the Gators clawed back with a -3 bogey-free stretch in that span.
That momentum carried in the back nine, as Florida combined for a -5 stretch with only four bogeys to jump back into the top three.
Graduate transfer Megan Propeck logged a -1 with four birdies in her first SEC Tournament outing for her 10th low round of the year. She is 16th after the first round.
Not far behind her is sophomore Elaine Widjaja, who is 21st. After a +1 front nine, she recovered with a one-under final nine with two birdies and one bogey to finish even in her championship debut.
Rounding out the lineup were freshman Katelyn Huber and sophomore Siuue Wu, also making their debuts in the conference tournament and finishing with a +1 score each.
Wu had a rough start with two bogeys and a double on the first five holes. But, like the rest of the lineup, she stayed composed while logging two birdies and zero bogeys in the last 13 holes of play.
Huber, the Gainesville native, teed off for the Gators and recorded two birdies on the final six holes to put her and Wu tied for 30th.
Florida will look to keep the momentum from the back-nine in round two starting at 8 a.m. Saturday paired with leaders Texas A&M and Vanderbilt (-4).
“I was really impressed with the maturity and the patience today,” Glaser said. “Ultimately, we know that it’s going to take some of that as the week goes on, so to see us show that on the back nine, that is a very positive thing.”
Following 54-holes of stroke play, the top-eight teams advance to match play starting Monday.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Women's Golf
