The majority of the SEC Championship looked winnable for No. 3 Florida women’s golf. The Gators were in a dogfight in Rounds 1 and 2 of stroke play, trailing Texas by four after two.
They emerged as the best team in Round 3, going 4-under-par and securing the No. 1 seed heading into match play. Florida ended stroke play with an 831 (-9), which is its lowest three-round total by score in program history at the SEC Championship.
“We’ve been the one seed before, but we know it starts all over,” head coach Emily Glaser said after winning stroke play.
UF handled Vanderbilt 4-1 in the quarterfinals, thanks to Megan Propeck’s three birdies and an eagle.
Meanwhile, No. 8 Auburn swept No. 17 Tennessee, setting up the semifinals against the Gators.
And it came down to the final hole.
Siuue Wu teed off against Molly Brown Davidson. Despite both sophomore golfers facing the exact same scenario, one caved under pressure, while the other excelled.
Wu hit a triple bogey, and Davidson potted a birdie.
The competitors' vastly different responses to hole 18 secured the 3-2 win for Auburn and knocked Florida out of the SEC Championship, extending its SEC title drought to nine seasons.
The Florida lineup consisted of Paula Francisco, Megan Propeck, Siuue Wu, Elaine Widjaja and Katelyn Huber. Glaser subbed Addison Klonowski for Widjaja in the semifinals.
Francisco was the best performer for UF in stroke play, winning the SEC Individual Championship. The junior sported a 202 (-8), extending her streak of under-par rounds to nine. She was the top Gator in the first two rounds and tied Propeck in the final stage.
“I didn’t realize that I won until they all came to me, and everyone was congratulating me,” Francisco said. “I will never forget that moment and cherish it forever.”
However, Francisco’s semifinals play against Auburn’s Charlotte Cantonis proved to be costly. The Spaniard had four single bogeys, while Cantonis accumulated four birdies and only one single bogey.
Propeck finished close behind with a 207 (-3) in stroke play, including six birdies in Round 3. She went 2-0 in match play, winning her quarterfinals matchup against Vanderbilt’s Lynn Lim by three holes. There, the graduate student hit a quintuple bogey in hole 2 and three-straight single bogeys from holes 4 to 6.
But she did not let those poor numbers deter her, as she posted three birdies and an eagle the rest of the quarterfinals. Then, she defeated Auburn’s Anna Davis by two holes, where she accumulated three birdies and one single bogey.
Wu, Huber and Widjaja all finished over par in stroke play.
Wu ended with a 212 (+2) and also hit a triple bogey in the final hole of Round 3. Huber went 212 (+2) as well, including an eagle in Round 2. The freshman and Gainesville native played very well in match play, defeating Vanderbilt’s Kathryn Ha by two holes and obliterating Auburn’s Carys Worby by five. In the semifinals, Worby hit four single bogeys and a double bogey in the final 10 holes.
Widjaja had a rough outing in stroke play, going 216 (+6) and lost by four holes in the quarterfinals to the Commodores’ Ava Merrill. Klonowski took her spot in the semifinals and lost by two to the Tigers’ Katie Cranston.
Despite falling in the semifinals, the Gators will still continue in the postseason. NCAA Regional competition will begin on May 11, with location selection on April 29. Florida may play in any of six locations: University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, University of Louisville, Stanford, FSU or Baylor.
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.
