The Gators look to gain momentum before the upcoming SEC Tournament as they travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to compete in the LSU Tiger Golf Classic April 6 and 7.
Hosted by LSU, the tournament spans for two days of competition. Eight of the 14 teams competing rank inside the top-25, including the No. 24 Gators.
Florida’s lineup returns to full strength for its regular season finale, as senior Addie Baggarly and sophomore Annabell Fuller retake their spots.
Senior Lauren Waidner serves as the Gators’ No. 1 golfer this week. The Fleming Island, Florida, native made her first lineup appearance since her sophomore year in Florida’s last tournament, the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, where she tied for 16th.
Fuller slides into the No. 2 spot. The English golfer comes to Baton Rouge fresh off an appearance at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, where she finished in 22nd. The LSU tournament will be Fuller’s first appearance in the UF lineup since her win at the Gators Invitational in February.
Sophomore Marina Escobar slots in behind Fuller. Escobar appeared in every Florida lineup this spring. Her best finish came at the Gators Invitational, where she tied for 12th.
Maisie Filler occupies the No. 4 spot. The freshman had an up-and-down spring. She appeared in three of the four tournaments and tied for 20th in her best appearance at the Gamecock Intercollegiate.
Baggarly rounds out the Florida lineup after she appeared in the ANWA with Fuller. The senior returns to the Gators for the first time since the second round of the Gators Invitational. She withdrew from the final round due to an injury.
The LSU Tiger Golf Classic hosted competition in 2005 and played every year since. Florida appears in the tournament for the first time this year, however. The event takes place at the University Club, the LSU golf team’s home. The course is 6,350-yards long and hosted the 2017 DI Men’s Golf Championship Regional.
The competition is a 54-hole, stroke play event. Teams will play 36 holes of golf Tuesday then the final 18 Wednesday. The tournament uses a shotgun start, which means teams will tee off from all over the course.
Florida is expected to start on the eighth, ninth and 10th holes each day. Play begins at 9:30 a.m., and live updates are available at Golfstat.com.
Contact Michael Hull at mhull@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @Michael_Hull33
Michael Hull is a fourth-year journalism sports & media major and a sports writer at The Alligator. He hosts the weekly sports podcast and has worked on staff for five semesters. In the past, Hull has served as the sports editor, the men's and women's golf beat writer, the volleyball beat writer and the football beat writer.
