In her first collegiate tournament, Camilla Hedberg tied for third individually and broke the record for the lowest 54-hole total in UF history (208).
According to coach Jan Dowling, she is only trying to get better after her stellar debut at the Cougar Classic last week.
“She’s a modest person, but at the same time, she is excited about [her performance last event],” Dowling said. “She’s been looking to do more of the same and get herself in contention again and, hopefully, win a tournament.”
Hedberg and the No. 16 Gators will look to build momentum from their third-place team finish as they take the course today at the Mason Rudolph Fall Preview hosted by Vanderbilt at the Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn.
The three-day event will feature 17 other schools, including LSU and North Carolina, the top two finishers at the Cougar Classic. The entire tournament field is currently ranked in the Golf World/NGCA Preseason Coaches Top 25.
Dowling said the course’s greens have recently been reseeded with a firmer hybrid Bermuda grass, and some tees have been moved to different spots, making the course longer than it has been in recent years.
“This course is set up to be a great test of golf,” she said. “It’s going to be exciting what scores we’re posting. We’re excited to be competing with the best teams in the country, and that’s what we’re trying to do every week.”
In addition to another strong effort from Hedberg, Florida will also look for its upperclassmen to continue to post solid scores.
Junior Mia Piccio and senior Evan Jensen, the leaders of the team according to Dowling, finished the last event at 2-under and 4-over, respectively. Junior Isabelle Lendl also finished 3-over par.
The Gators left the Yeamans Hall Golf Club in Hanahan, S.C., with a team score of 856 (284-284-288, -8) on 54 birdies and two eagles against 57 bogeys and five double bogeys.
Hedberg is set to play No. 1 in the lineup today, with Piccio, Lendl, Jensen and senior Andrea Watts rounding out the rotation.
Dowling said she believes the Gators have made some good adjustments during practice this week.
“If we’re getting a little bit better every day, then we’re going to be pretty good once the season finishes,” she said. “Everyone is individually working on something a little bit different to make our team better.
“We’re excited for this tournament, although we’re not too amped. We’re going to treat every tournament the same.”
