Florida shot its lowest round of the season Tuesday.
Propelled by junior Evan Jensen’s two-under-par 70 and sophomore Mia Piccio’s third straight round with at least four birdies, the Gators carded a one-over 289.
“We had four pretty solid rounds today,” coach Jan Dowling said. “It was definitely more like us.”
But the effort wasn’t enough to prevail at the Cougar Classic in Hanahan, S.C., as the No. 19 Gators finished in fifth place at 875 (292-294-289, +11). North Carolina won the tournament with a team score of 860 (285-285-290, -4).
UF excelled on holes 15 through 18 this week, shooting 17 birdies in the four-hole stretch.
“We got into the mix in the third part of our round,” Dowling said. “We just couldn’t quite finish it off.”
Jensen jumped six spots into a tie for eighth and was one of two Gators to finish in the top-10 in individual scoring.
“She’s been hitting the ball well ever since she got back to school,” Dowling said. “The putts just started to drop for her today.”
Her 54-hole score of 216 (73-73-70, E) is a career best.
Piccio, leading the Gators in individual scoring entering the day, bogeyed three of her first six holes. But she rolled in three birdies on the back nine to recover and finish in a tie for sixth at 215 (70-72-73, -1).
“She feels like she’s really close to breaking through and shooting a really low number,” Dowling said.
Junior Andrea Watts looked like she would be the one going low when she opened her round with back-to-back birdies at five and six. But a double bogey dropped her back, and she finished with an even-par 72 for a 54-hole total of 221 (74-75-72, +5).
Senior Jessica Yadloczky again shot 74 and finished in a tie for 29th (75-74-74, +7).
Dowling said there’s still room for improvement.
“If we look at our putting, I think everyone felt like we left a lot out there,” she said. “We’re going to be able to come away from this tournament knowing exactly what we need to work on.”
The Gators’ next chance will come Sept. 24 at the Mason Rudolph Women’s Championship hosted by Vanderbilt at the Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn. The tournament routinely draws some of the top teams from across the country.
“It’s probably one of the best fields of the year,” Dowling said. “I look forward to seeing how we stack up.”
