Gator Women’s Golf Finishes in Top Five at Auburn

Another top-five finish is in the books for the Florida women’s golf team.

The team finished fifth in the Evans Derby Experience, making it the seventh time the Gators have had a top-five finish on the season. Hosted by Auburn, Florida played itself into contention early on, finishing the first round in second place but the Gators couldn’t stay near the top for the rest of the tournament.

Three Florida golfers finished within the top-25 individual leader board. Freshman Clara Manzalini finished tied for third at one-under par, sophomore Elin Esborn finished tied for 12th at three-over and junior Sierra Brooks shot a clutch 70 in her final round to creep up the leader board at five-over.

This tournament was the final regular season tournament featuring Brooks and Marta Perez, who travel to Augusta National for the first annual Augusta National Women’s Amateur on April 3-6.

Sure, the team came up short on another title, but the tournament proved a highlight performance for Manzalini in the spring portion of the season.

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Manzalini masters the course

The weekend at the Evans Derby Experience was Clara Manzalini’s world, and the rest of Florida women’s golf lived in it.

Manzalini built an early lead in UF team scoring. She shot bogey-free on the back nine in her opening round of 68, paired with two birdies. Despite not shooting as low for the rest of the tournament, her sharp play kept the team in the top five throughout the rest of the tournament. It earned her first top-five individual finish since the Cougar Classic in the fall.

More signs of life

Florida carded 38 birdies in the tournament, second most behind Duke. They also brought the heat on the par 4s and 5s, finishing third on both types of holes.

Catch them again

The Florida women’s golf team will conclude regular season play at the Liz Murphy Collegiate in Athens, Georgia, from April 11-13.