Florida women’s golf finishes third in Tallahassee Regional, advances to national championship

For the majority of the Tallahassee Regional, it looked as if the Gators would come out on top. 

Round 1 presented temperatures in the high 80s and mostly sunny skies. Florida took full advantage and had a two-stroke lead on Wake Forest and non-conference rival Florida State University. 

However, the next day presented a different story.

Dark clouds loomed over Seminole Legacy Golf Club from the first tee off. As soon as noon hit, the precarious flashes in the sky and loud rumbles started. Continuing for another three hours, boatloads of heavy rain and lightning forced Round 2 into a delay that lasted until almost 4 p.m. 

Then, the downpours returned, resulting in a 45-minute delay that started around 5:30 p.m.

Through the inclement weather and a 12-hour day, UF survived by going even par. However, it was hanging by the skin of its teeth as the Seminoles sat just one stroke behind. 

The Gators had a great start to the final frame, but fatigue plagued them in the back nine, forcing a three-way race with FSU and Wake Forest. 

While UF continually hit bogey trouble, the Demon Deacons exploded with a 278 (-10), and the Seminoles held steadfast. Florida ultimately finished third with an 861 (-3), five strokes behind first-place Wake Forest. The third-place finish extended the Gators’ regional victory drought to nine seasons. 

UF’s lineup consisted of Paula Francisco, Megan Propeck, Siuue Wu, Katelyn Huber and Elaine Widjaja, with Addison Klonowski as the substitute.

Huber stood out as the top performer for the Gators, accumulating a 212 (-4). That score placed the freshman fifth overall and marked her first top-five finish since the OU Intercollegiate in October. She started the tournament with a mediocre performance, posting a 73 (+1), but the Gainesville native was not bothered by the inclement weather in Round 2. With four birdies in the front nine, totaling six on the day, Huber was the only Gator to finish under par that round. The front nine was her friend the final day as well, as she potted three birdies in the first four holes. 

If any one golfer was hindered by the downpours and lightning strikes, it was Propeck. The graduate student went 5-over-par in Round 2, which included three double bogeys. However, she bounced back as the team’s top golfer in Round 3, potting in six birdies and concluding the tournament with a dead-even score.

Wu finished the Tallahassee Regional, sporting a 218 (+2). She was the team’s top golfer in the opening frame, going 3-under-par and hitting only one bogey. The sophomore slowed down through the final pair of rounds, as she had just three birdies the rest of the way. 

Despite Francisco coming off an individual SEC Championship win and nine straight rounds under par, she couldn’t replicate that success. Like many others, the junior fell victim to poor weather conditions in Round 2, going 1-over-par, which ended her streak at 10. Her double bogey in Hole 10 of the final frame proved to be costly, lowering her overall score to 219 (+3).

Widjaja ended the tournament with a 221 (+5). Round 1 was as volatile as Universal’s Velocicoaster for the Indonesia native. She accumulated four single bogeys, five birdies and a double bogey in Hole 16. The volatility came to a halt in Round 2, as the sophomore went even in 15 of 18 holes. Widjaja only landed three birdies in the final two rounds combined. 

Since Florida placed in the top five, it punched a ticket to the NCAA National Championship. The six-day tournament will feature four rounds of stroke play and three of match play. Round 1 begins on May 22 and takes place at Omni La Costa’s North Course in Carlsbad, California. 

The tournament will mark the Gators’ second straight national championship appearance, and a chance for UF to capture its first title in 40 years. 

Contact Colby Kistner at ckistner@alligator.org. Follow him on X @colbykistner22. 

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