The Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio, has been giving golfers trouble through the first two days of the NCAA Columbus Regional.
“This golf course requires tremendous patience and this week comes down to being tough,” coach Emily Glaser said after UF went through its practice round before day one of the tournament.
Luckily for the Gators, however, they are not the only team struggling to decode the cryptic course as the team maintained a slim lead after day two.
Ohio State, Florida State and South Carolina, in second, third and fourth places, respectively, all posted a triple bogey in the second round, lending credence to the difficulty of the course.
“The course and conditions were tough (Monday),” Glaser said in a release after day one of the tournament. The evidence shows the same was the case for Tuesday as well.
Senior Maria Torres, regarded as one of the Gators women’s golf team’s top golfers, hasn’t recorded a birdie on the back nine of either round the team has played so far. Torres, who sits at 10 over in the tournament, posted six consecutive bogeys to finish out her day.
Freshman Marta Perez, who anchored UF with a solid 1 over on day one, moved back to a tie for 12th overall with a 3 over for the day, pushing her to 4 over for the tournament.
Aside from those unusual performances, senior Kelly Grassel held steady, shooting even par for the day after draining three birdies on the final six holes. Grassel is currently tied for fourth among all competitors at 2 over, just three strokes off the leader, Maddie Szeryk of Texas A&M.
Senior Karolina Vlckova also had a positive outing for the Gators, shooting a team-low 1 under for the day to bring her overall score down to 7 over.
The Gators’ two-stroke lead over FSU from day one has diminished to a one-stroke lead over OSU after two rounds. Ohio State took advantage of a relatively mistake-free second half of the day, posting just four bogeys that counted against its team score on the back nine.
Despite the relative dip in the lead, coach Glaser says she’s optimistic about her team’s odds for a day three victory.
“We have a chance to win our region and we want to make the most of the opportunity,” Glaser said after day two. “I know the team is excited and up for the challenge."
The Gators wrap up regional play on Wednesday with play teeing off at 7:30 a.m. The top six teams will advance to the NCAA Championships in Sugar Grove, Illinois, played from May 19-24.
Contact Morgan McMullen at mmcmullen@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @morganmcmuffin.
Kelly Grassel lines up a shot during the 2015 SunTrust Gator Invitational at UF's Mark Bostick Golf Course.
