Florida entered Saturday with a chance to climb up the leaderboard and stand toe-to-toe with the Mason Rudolph Fall Preview’s elite.
Instead, it took a minor step back.
The No. 16 Gators finished their second round at the Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn., at 8-over-par to make their two-day total 599 (303-296, +23). Florida fell back three spots to 11th place.
UCLA climbed up to the top spot Saturday after finishing its second day 5-under. Alabama trails six shots at second.
“We got off to a slow start and we put ourselves in a little bit of a hole,” coach Jan Dowling said. “But I have to say, I’m very proud of how hard the team worked. We worked very hard for the score that we shot today.”
The weather was notably better than it was during the first round of action, as the fairways dried up. Some tees were also moved up, making course play shorter.
For the second consecutive day, freshman Camilla Hedberg finished 1-over after making three birdies and 11 pars against four bogeys.
“[Camilla’s] very consistent and she makes birdies. In every round she’s played so far, she’s made at least three birdies,” Dowling said. “She’s just very steady; nothing really rocks her world. She’s got a lot of confidence.”
Juniors Mia Piccio and Isabelle Lendl finished their rounds 2-over. Piccio made 14 pars but only one birdie, while Lendl made three birdies over a 15-hole stretch until she double bogeyed her final hole.
Senior Evan Jensen also ended her day 3-over.
After a rough first round, senior Andrea Watts shot a 5-over-77 to put her two-day score at 15-over. While Watts tallied 13 pars, she made five bogeys and no birdies.
Hedberg sits tied for 15th place individually with eight other players, while Piccio is tied for 31st.
Dowling said the Gators need a strong start to Sunday’s round if they want to finish the event on a high note.
“Hopefully, we’ll get up tomorrow and play the way we normally do at the beginning,” she said. “We’re just hoping to get off to a better start tomorrow and see how well we can play and make a move up that leaderboard.”
