After coming in first place in its previous two events, the Florida women’s golf team capped off a lackluster outing at the Evans Derby Invitational in Auburn, Alabama, on Tuesday afternoon.
The Gators finished tied for sixth place in the 12-team field, going 3 under in the event’s final round to improve its final score to 2 over.
Sophomore transfer Sierra Brooks helped the cause by shooting 2 under in her final 18 holes, a performance led by three birdies and only one bogey.
She finished with an overall score of 6 under, good enough for a tie of fifth place on the individual leaderboard. This marks Brooks’ third straight tournament with a top-five finish.
Five slots below Brooks was sophomore Marta Perez who tied for 12th place. Perez improved her score in each of the three rounds, shooting even par on Sunday, 1 under on Monday and 2 under on Tuesday.
Freshman Addie Baggarly finished below Perez. Baggarly carded an even par on Tuesday, putting her in a tie for 35th place with a final score of 4 over. She also improved her score every round, shooting 3 over on Sunday and 1 over on Monday.
Senior Taylor Tomlinson followed Baggarly with a final score of 7 over after shooting 1 over on Tuesday. Tomlinson finished tied for 41st.
Florida’s final golfer in its lineup, sophomore Carlotta Ricolfi, is probably happy to see the tournament come to a close. Ricolfi struggled throughout the event, shooting a woeful 21 over on Tuesday to bring her final score up to 50 over. She finished in last place out of the 74 golfers who competed in the tournament, ending the final round 22 strokes behind 73rd place finisher Sandra Salonen of Florida State.
Also competing for the Gators individually was freshman Lauren Waidner, who shot 4 over on Tuesday. This was a vast improvement for Waidner, who went a combined 20 over on Sunday and Monday. She finished with a final score of 24 over for 72nd place in the field.
Florida’s final score of 2 over was 30 strokes behind first-place Arkansas, which shot 28 under. Duke came in second at 19 under, while Alabama ended Tuesday in third at 14 under.
“Happy to see us improve today, but (we) certainly have some work to do over the next few months,” UF coach Emily Glaser said in a release. “Arkansas set a high bar this week.”
Florida entered the Evans Derby Invitational having won its previous two events — the SunTrust Gator Invitational on March 11 and the AllState Sugar Bowl on Feb. 20. UF’s next tournament is the Liz Murphy Collegiate Classic, which starts on April 13 in Athens, Georgia.
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Sophomore Sierra Brooks led the Gators, shooting two under in the first round of the NCAA Regional.
