Florida Gators
SEC Championships
Myers Sparks Lady Gator Improvement In Second Round Of SEC Championship
Saturday, April 21, 2007 | Women's Golf
The seventh-ranked University of Florida women's golf fired a seven-over 295 in Saturday's second round, moving two spots up the leader board into a tie for fourth with a 36-hole total of 591 (+15). Only two schools shot lower than the Lady Gators on Saturday, and UF will open the final round of competition just 15 strokes off the pace.
“We had a decent round today and were able to move up a few spots, but we aren't quite there yet,” Florida head coach Jill Briles-Hinton said. “This tournament has been a good learning experience for us so far, and now we need to turn that experience into a solid finish in the final round. We haven't been great as a team yet this weekend, and I know we're capable of playing better than we've shown.”
Junior Whitney Myers (East Berlin, Pa.) was the Lady Gators' bright spot on the afternoon, firing a one-under 71 that featured two birdies against just one bogey. The performance marked her third round in red numbers this season, and just missed equaling her season best by a stroke. Saturday's 71 was also a four-stroke improvement over her first-round score, and moved her into a tie for ninth with a total of 146 (+2) heading into the final 18 holes of competition.
“Whitney played a solid round for us today, which is something that we needed badly,” Briles-Hinton said. “She knows that she left a few out there, but she put up a good number. If she can play like that again tomorrow, we'll be in a good position.”
A one-over 73 was good enough for junior Sandra Gal (Leichlingen, Germany) to hold her ground on Saturday, as she finished the day in sixth place with a 36-hole total of 143 (-1) after beginning the round in a tie for fifth. Gal turned a solid round from start to finish, orchestrating a birdie and 15 pars en route to her second-round 73. Sophomore Mallory Blackwelder (Versailles, Ky.) matched SEC Player of the Year candidate Gal on Saturday, posting a one-over 73 that moved her tournament total to a four-over 148. Like Gal, she countered two bogeys with a back-nine birdie to reach her second-round score. Blackwelder will begin the final round in an 18th-place tie, one of three Lady Gators in the top-20 heading into the final day.
Redshirt sophomore Ornella Jouven (La Ciotat, France) chipped in with a six-over 78 on Saturday, while junior Tiffany Chudy (Miramar, Fla.) posted a second-round 87 (+15). Jouven will head into Sunday's final round in a tie for 40th place with a two-round total of 155 (+11), and Chudy will open the tournament's final day in a tie for 57th with a score of 163 (+19).
“An SEC team can come through and play well on any given day, and that could be us tomorrow,” Briles-Hinton said. “We're still looking to get four solid scores, but we're getting there. We just can't get a head of ourselves, can't lose focus on the next shot.”
Georgia will hold the lead with a score of 576 (E), while the Bulldogs' Garrett Phillips will tee off with a total of 139 (-5) and the individual lead, when play resumes at 9:30 a.m. EST on Saturday. Scoring will be done live on the Internet at www.golfstat.com, and can also be accessed at www.gatorzone.com.
Team Standings Through Round Two
| Place | School | Score |
| 1. | Georgia | 285-291 = 576 (E) |
| 2. | South Carolina | 295-289 = 584 (+8) |
| 3. | Tennessee | 292-296 = 588 (+12) |
| T4. | Alabama | 291-300 = 591 (+15) |
| T4. | FLORIDA | 296-295 = 591 (+15) |
| 6. | Arkansas | 296-299 = 595 (+19) |
| 7. | LSU | 294-303 = 597 (+21) |
| 8. | Vanderbilt | 296-303 = 599 (+23) |
| 9. | Auburn | 298-302 = 600 (+24) |
| 10. | Mississippi State | 312-295 = 607 (+31) |
| 11. | Kentucky | 308-308 = 616 (+40) |
| 12. | Mississippi | 312-311 = 623 (+47) |
Individual Top-10 Through Round Two
| Place | Player | Score |
| 1. | Garrett Phillips (Georgia) | 67-72 = 139 (-5) |
| T2. | Jenna Pearson (South Carolina) | 74-66 = 140 (-4) |
| T2. | Marci Turner (Tennessee) | 68-72 = 140 (-4) |
| 4. | Taylor Leon (Georgia) | 69-72 = 141 (-3) |
| 5. | Angela Oh (Tennessee) | 71-71 = 142 (-2) |
| 6. | SANDRA GAL (FLORIDA) | 70-73 = 143 (-1) |
| T7. | Helena Blomberg (Alabama) | 69-75 = 144 (E) |
| T7. | Blythe Worley (South Carolina) | 70-74 = 144 (E) |
| T9. | Rebecca Kuhn (LSU) | 72-74 = 146 (+2) |
| T9. | Camila Mori (South Carolina) | 76-70 = 146 (+2) |
| T9. | WHITNEY MYERS (FLORIDA) | 75-71 = 146 (+2) |
| T9. | Alexis Rather (LSU) | 72-74 = 146 (+2) |
| T9. | Alex Schulte (Arkansas) | 74-72 = 146 (+2) |
| T9. | Whitney Wade (Georgia) | 73-73 = 146 (+2) |
Florida Results Through Round Two
| Place | Player | Score |
| 6. | Sandra Gal | 70-73 = 143 (-1) |
| T9. | Whitney Myers | 75-71 = 146 (+2) |
| T18. | Mallory Blackwelder | 75-73 = 148 (+4) |
| T40. | Ornella Jouven | 77-78 = 155 (+11) |
| T57. | Tiffany Chudy | 76-87 = 163 (+19) |
-UF-
