The Yeamans Hall Club in Charleston, North Carolina, crowned a new champion Tuesday as No. 7 Florida women’s golf amassed a 10-stroke lead to conquer the 18-team field in the annual Cougar Classic.
Redshirt sophomore Jessica Guiser captured the individual title, shooting six under through 54 holes of play on the club’s 6,269-yard, par-71 course. In her first tournament since the 2025 season, Guiser exploded in Round 2, shooting four under, the third-best finish of the round and new career-low.
Guiser’s resurgence to collegiate golf — after no tournament appearances in 2026 — contributed to Florida’s eight-under total score in Round 2, where the Gators separated themselves from the field. Florida had the lowest score in a round where the other teams in the field shot an average of five over par. In the last round, the Gators notched a score of seven under, another best on the day, with second-place Tennessee scoring a five under par in the final 18.
The Volunteers finished second overall in the tournament, but a final score of six under was no comparison to Florida’s 16 below par. Minus the Vols, Florida also beat Southeastern Conference programs like Arkansas, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Louisiana State and Ole Miss. The Rebels shot a round-one best of five under, but crumbled in Round 2 shooting 10 over, likely wishing for a few mulligans or a breakfast ball.
Finishing in a four-way tie for second place, Gainesville native Katelyn Huber decorated the scorecard with a team-best 67 (-4) in the third, tying her career low. The sophomore out of P.K. Yonge High School secured her best tournament finish as a Gator. After only shooting even in the first and one under in the second, Huber climbed the leaderboard in the final 18 to give Florida some wiggle room in the lead.
The drama was lackluster in the two-day tournament with the Gators practically competing amongst themselves for new personal bests. Aside from Huber and Guiser, junior Elaine Widjaja finished with a 214 (+1), senior Paula Francisco with a 216 (+3) and junior Addison Klonowski also with a 216 (+3). Widjaja came in at 22nd on the leaderboard, with Francisco and Klonowski both sitting tied for 30th. In a tournament with 96 golfers, the Gators made a statement among the best teams in collegiate golf.
Florida is back on the grass Sept. 18 with hopes of continuing to climb the national rankings in the Mason Rudolph Championship at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tennessee. The Gators will face the Commodores, Atlantic Coast Conference foes Clemson, North Carolina and Louisville, plus 10 other programs in the tournament.
Contact Bob Sager at bsager@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @bobsager808.
