Coach Jan Dowling expected the Gators to feel comfortable and relaxed heading into the first round of its season-opening tournament.
To say Florida held it together Sunday would be an understatement.
Four of five players finished one under as the Gators sit in second place at the par-72, 6,205-yard Cougar Classic at Yeamans Hall Golf Club in Hanahan, S.C.
“There’s just a sense of familiarity,” Dowling said of competing at the same tournament for the second straight year. “You get to know the course and some of its idiosyncrasies a little bit better.”
Florida finished the first round of play with a team score of 284 (-4), only four shots back. The Gators combined for 18 birdies, and senior Evan Jensen also made a pair of eagles on two par-5s.
LSU leads the 22-team field at 280 (-8), while North Carolina sits in third place five shots back. Alabama and North Carolina State are tied for fourth at 287 (-1).
Dowling believes the leader board could shift drastically the next two days.
“There are a lot of good teams here, but we have to take care of our own business,” she said. “That’s all we can control.”
Making her collegiate debut, freshman Camilla Hedberg started slowly but eventually found her stroke.
She recorded four early bogeys but rebounded with five birdies through her final 11 holes.
“Camilla had a tremendous bounce back,” Dowling said. “Some of [her early mistakes] could be attributed to nerves, considering it’s her first college tournament. She obviously handled it all very well.”
Junior Isabelle Lendl also tallied five birdies.
Dowling said she believes her team will play consistently the next two rounds due to its maturity and knowledge for execution.
“We continue to make good decisions, which change the way you hit your tee shots,” she said.
“The fairways and the greens are huge, so you really have to place your ball correctly off the tee and the green. We’re just going to go out and shoot the lowest score we can.”
