No. 16 Paula Francisco is quickly becoming a star in the college golf world.
Born in Madrid, Spain, the junior came to the University of Florida in 2023. Her first season was challenging, like most freshmen campaigns. She played in 10 of 11 tournaments, and her best finish was eighth place at the Gators Invitational, where she finished at even par. She was over par in every other tournament, including a +21 showing at the 2024 SEC Championship.
She displayed signs of growth in her sophomore year. After a 9-over-par, 53rd-place finish at the Cougar Classic to open the season, she delivered a breakout performance at The Ally.
There, she sported a 210 (-6) with two eagles en route to a third-place finish and a team-best performance. Her effort helped lift the Gators to their first tournament victory of the 2024-25 season.
For the remainder of the season, she performed well but failed to reach elite consistency until the postseason.
She finished 11th out of 96 players at the SEC Championship and also won two 1-up matches. Despite Florida not advancing out of the NCAA Regionals, she was the tournament’s second-best golfer in stroke play, finishing at 209 (-4).
Fast forward to Oct. 15, a few months into the current season, Francisco was ranked 218th in the country after finishing over par in three events. Once again, The Ally proved to be a turning point.
She shot a 212 (-4) to climb to 145th in the national rankings.
Although UF did not compete in a tournament for the remainder of the 2025 calendar year, Francisco continued to climb, reaching 99th in the rankings heading into the Sea Best Intercollegiate.
There, she posted a career-low 202 (-14) and finished second, two strokes behind Duke’s Rianne Malixi. The result marked Florida’s third consecutive team victory of the season.
She followed with a combined 6-over-par across the next two tournaments but quickly returned to form at the Gators Invitational.
With a 200 (-10), a record-setting score at the Gators Invitational, Francisco captured her first collegiate tournament title.
Francisco’s rise isn’t just about one breakthrough performance. It reflects consistency catching up to talent that has always been present. She has demonstrated sustained success across multiple tournaments.
Now, she will look to carry that momentum into the final regular-season tournament.
She and the Gators travel to South Carolina for the Clemson Invitational on Friday, with a start time still to be determined. The tournament will be held at The Reserve at Lake Keowee and will be hosted by Clemson.
Contact Colby Kistner at ckistner@alligator.org. Follow him on X @colbykistner22.
Colby is a junior sports journalism student in his first semester with the Alligator covering golf. He has experience covering Buchholz and Santa Fe High School sports. He also worked in UF's innovation center where he wrote and created radio content for WRUF. He is an avid hockey fan with his teams being the Seattle Kraken and Florida Panthers. He is looking to minor in business administration.
