The No. 19 Florida women’s golf team travels to Hanahan, S.C., on Sunday to take part in the Cougar Classic hosted by College of Charleston at the par-72, 6,210 yard Yeamans Hall Golf Club.
“It’s supposed to be a really good course, an old-style golf course,” coach Jan Dowling said. “It’s a great course to get a good flow into our fall season. Kind of the opposite of TPC, really.”
The Gators finished in second Monday at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., in a tournament they expected to win.
UF has reason to be confident. Every member of this year's squad is a returning member from the 2009-10 season, including sophomores Isabelle Lendl and Mia Piccio, who showed promise leading the Gators down the stretch.
But Lendl struggled in the opening event, shooting 81-41 for a total of +14.
“She’s worked hard all summer and been consistent all summer,” Dowling said of Lendl. “And really, her round at TPC, she played really well except for two holes. She’s a good player, so that kind of stuff doesn’t affect her.”
Piccio and Lendl, who led the rotation at TPC, both had success in the offseason. Lendl reached the semifinals of the North and South Women’s Amateur and Piccio won the Women’s Trans Amateur Championship. Both golfers also competed in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship in Charlotte, N.C.
Lendl finished the 2009-10 season second on the team with a 74.9 scoring average and was named to the Second Team All-Southeastern and the SEC All-Freshman Team. Piccio will try to better a freshman campaign in which she posted three top-10 finishes and led the team with a 74.7 average.
“I think, obviously from their play last year, Mia and Isabelle were definite leaders despite the fact that they were freshmen,” Dowling said. “I’m expecting a lot out of them.”
The Gators' top five players in scoring average from a year ago are separated by just over a stroke and Dowling said she believes any player can step into a leadership role.
Jessica Yadloczky, who holds all-time Gator records for low round (66) and low tournament (209), is the lone senior returning on a team with no freshmen.
“Jessica’s been a great player for a long time,” Dowling said of the two-time All-SEC First Team nominee. “We’ve got a great group of young ladies here.”
But three juniors, Evan Jensen, Marika Lendl and Andrea Watts, may prove to be the team’s core. Combining for 77 total rounds in 2009-10, they gained valuable experience that should bring continuity.
Watts led the Gators with her individual finish of seventh place (73-44, +9) in the darkness-shortened first tournament and will play No. 1 in the rotation on Sunday.
