W. Golf Poised to Repeat as SunTrust Lady Gator Invitational Champions

Saturday, March 10

Gainesville, FL

12:00 AM

Florida Gators

SunTrust Lady Gator

W. Golf Poised to Repeat as SunTrust Lady Gator Invitational Champions

Sunday, March 11, 2007 | Women's Golf

The University of Florida women's golf team fired a season-low 36-hole score of 585 (293-292, +25) on Saturday to lead a 16-team field after day one of the 2007 SunTrust Lady Gator Invitational. The defending 2006 SunTrust Champions hold a three-stroke lead over second-place TCU (297-291=588), while Florida's defending medalist Sandra Gal (Leichlingen, Germany) is also poised to repeat with a one-under 139 (69-70), which also stands atop the leaderboard.

“We didn't come out as sharp as we wanted to in the first round, but I'm very proud that the team stepped it up for two rounds in a row and put us in a solid position to make a run for this title,” Florida head coach Jill Briles-Hinton said. “To be competitive at the top level of collegiate golf, you need to put together consistently low team scores, and I'm pretty pleased that we accomplished that today.”

Gal, who started at No. 1 in Florida's rotation for the sixth time this season, began the day by matching her career-low score of 69 for the third time in as many tournaments. She played even for the first three holes on the par-70, 5,927-yard UF Golf Course, and dropped to one-under after recording her first of five birdies during Saturday's play on the par-4, 395-yard fourth hole. She regained the stroke with a bogey on No. 6, but fell back to one-under after birdying No. 12. She parred out to finish her opening round at 69.

After tying her career-best, Gal appeared to be putting together an encore performance in her afternoon edition, but a trio of bogeys on the fourth, 14^th and 16^th holes proved difficult to overcome. She tallied three birdies in her second 18 holes of play to balance out the one-overs and finished the day with a one-under, two-round score of 139 (69-70).

“Sandra has definitely been displaying what she's capable of during this spring season. She's a true student of the game who is always seeking to improve, and her performance today really shows the work she's been putting into her game,” Briles-Hinton added.

Junior Whitney Myers (East Berlin, Pa.) and redshirt sophomore Ornella Jouven (La Ciotat, France) carded 36-hole scores of 148 to place in a five-way tie for 15^th. Jouven shot a 72 in round two, which bettered her opening-round score by four strokes. Myers began the day with a three-over 73, and followed with a second-round 75.

Junior Tiffany Chudy (Miramar, Fla.) posted back-to-back rounds of 75 (75-75=150) to tie for 27^th, while sophomore Mallory Blackwelder (Versailles, Ky.) is tied for 38^th with a score of 153 (76-77).

In individual action, junior Eleanor Tucker (Wilson, N.C.) matched her career-best score of 71 in Saturday's second round to bring her 36-hole total to 146 (75-71). Tucker cracked the top-10 after setting season bests for both single-round and 36-hole totals, and enters Sunday's final round tied for seventh.

“Eleanor put together two solid rounds today, and I'm very proud of her ability to go low on the first day of the tournament. It's always nice when an upperclassman steps it up and shows her teammates what it is to compete,” Briles-Hinton added.

The Lady Gators will make their final run at the 2007 SunTrust Lady Gator title Sunday morning with a 9 a.m. shotgun start. Live results will be available at www.golfstat.com and www.GatorZone.com.

Leaderboard After 36 Holes

1	Florida	+25	293	292	585
2	TCU	+28	297	291	588
3	Michigan State	+29	301	288	589
4	Louisville	+34	300	294	594
5	North Carolina	+36	300	296	596
6	Tennessee	+38	300	298	598
7	USF	+41	304	297	601
8	UCF	+49	309	300	609
9	Florida State	+50	305	305	610
10	Kent State	+51	304	307	611
11	Michigan	+53	309	304	613
12	FIU	+58	307	311	618
13	Georgia State	+64	317	307	624
14	Mississippi	+65	323	302	625
15	Mississippi State	+68	308	320	628
16	UNC-Greensboro	+73	320	313	633

Florida Individual Scores

1	Sandra Gal	-1	69	70	139
T15	Ornella Jouven	+8	76	72	148
T15	Whitney Myers	+8	73	75	148
T27	Tiffany Chudy	+10	75	75	150
T38	Mallory Blackwelder	+13	76	77	153
*T7	Eleanor Tucker	+6	75	71	146