The Florida women’s golf team entered play Wednesday eager to redeem itself after two poor rounds at the Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge.
UF coach Jan Dowling and her players were confident that, with a few breaks, they could leave California on a high note.
However, things didn’t go according to plan. The Gators limped home with a 33-over-par score on the day and a 74-over throughout the course of the tournament, putting them in eighth.
It was not exactly a day fit for low scoring, as wet and windy conditions made the intricacies of the game even more difficult.
The team’s struggles were not limited to any one golfer. Every Gator turned in a worse third round than second, with the exception of junior Evan Jensen, who improved by one shot on Wednesday.
Even sophomore Mia Piccio, who started the day tied for seventh and had been Florida’s best performer so far in the event, fell off the pace with a 7-over-par 78.
Senior Jessica Yadloczky is still waiting for her game to turn around, as she shot in the 80s for a second consecutive round, this time finishing with a 12-over-par 83.
The lone bright spot was sophomore Megan Pak, whose score doesn’t count in the team total because she played the tournament as an individual. Her final-round 3-over-par score of 74 was the lowest posted by any of the individual golfers.
“I am so proud of Megan,” Dowling said. “She has stayed patient this week … and shown improvement day after day.”
Dowling summed up the Gators’ emotions following a disappointing tournament but added they will maintain a positive outlook.
“The team is disappointed in the way we played today, but golf is sometimes about building blocks,” she said.
