Florida Gators
Bryan National Collegiate
Gal Leads Florida Women's Golf to Second-Place Finish at Bryan National Collegiate
Sunday, April 8, 2007 | Women's Golf
Florida junior Sandra Gal (Leichlingen, Germany) charged to the top of the individual leader board by firing a third-round of 69 and forced a playoff for the individual title as the 12th-ranked University of Florida women's golf team concluded its regular season with a second place finish at the Bryan National Collegiate at Bryan Park on Sunday.
The Lady Gators posted a third-round score of 302 (+14) to finish the 54-hole event with a total of 894 (+30). UF entered the final 18-holes holding a narrow one-stroke advantage over second-ranked Duke and No. 15 Purdue. Purdue shot the second-lowest third-round score, a six-over 294, to move ahead of Florida at 887 (+23).
“We did great in the regular season, and I'm very proud of the girls,” Florida head coach Jill Briles-Hinton said. “They all know they have a lot more work to do. They can't sit around and feel ready to go with a second-place finish. We still have to get out there and work hard to keep building on what we've accomplished so far.”
Gal's three-under round of 69 on Sunday included four birdies, 13 pars and just one bogey and brought her 54-hole score to 215 (-1), which was matched by Purdue's Maria Hernandez to force a sudden death playoff for the individual title. The playoff went three holes before Hernandez birdied to edge Gal for the title. Entering the final round, Gal stood in a tie for fifth at two-over and Hernandez was tied for the overall lead at even. The two golfers were the only participants to finish the tournament under par. Gal was one of just five golfers to shoot a round under 70 at the event.
“Sandra had to work hard today. She shot 69 and did a great job. She was four under at one point but gave one back and ended up forcing a playoff. She played great golf in order to do that on the last day,” Briles-Hinton added.
Joining Gal amongst the top-10 was junior Whitney Myers (East Berlin, Pa.), who tied for ninth after shooting a third-round of 78 (+6) and carding a 54-hole total of 223 (+7). Myers positioned herself for the top-10 finish on Saturday when she carded a two-under 70.
Junior Tiffany Chudy (Miramar, Fla.) finished tied for 32nd at 230 (+14) following a round of 81 (+9) on Sunday, while sophomore Mallory Blackwelder (Versailles, Ky.) tied for 42nd at 232 (+16) with a third-round score of 79. The final Lady Gator golfer, sophomore Ornella Jouven (La Ciotat, France) moved up 10 spots in the standing on the final day to tie for 47th with a total score of 234 (+234). Jouven's round of 76 on Sunday was her lowest round of the tournament and included a pair of birdies.
The Lady Gators will be idle next weekend before traveling to West Point, Miss. for the SEC Championships April 20-22.
Final Team Standings
| Place | School | Score |
| 1. | Purdue | 290-303-294 = 887 (+23) |
| 2. | FLORIDA | 298-294-302 = 894 (+30) |
| 3. | North Carolina | 291-309-297 = 897 (+33) |
| 4. | Duke | 292-301-305 = 898 (+34) |
| 5. | Tennessee | 305-312-286 = 903 (+39) |
| 6. | Georgia | 303-310-295 = 908 (+44) |
| 7. | Auburn | 301-315-300 = 916 (+52) |
| 8. | South Carolina | 297-310-310 = 917 (+53) |
| 9. | Ohio State | 307-312-301 = 920 (+56) |
| 10. | Virginia | 300-319-304 = 923 (+59) |
| 11. | Furman | 308-316-300 = 924 (+60) |
| 12. | LSU | 311-314-304 = 929 (+65) |
| 13. | Wake Forest | 309-312-311 = 932 (+68) |
| 14. | Florida State | 309-315-312 = 936 (+72) |
| 15. | UNC-Greensboro | 316-315-308 = 939 (+75) |
| 16. | UNC-Wilmington | 306-320-314 = 940 (+76) |
| 17. | North Carolina State | 314-318-309 = 941 (+77) |
| 18. | College of Charleston | 312-333-312 = 957 (+93) |
Final Individual Top-10
| Place | Player | Score |
| T1. | SANDRA GAL (FLORIDA) | 72-74-69 = 215 (-1) |
| T1. | Maria Hernandez (Purdue) | 71-73-71 = 215 (-1) |
| 3. | Blair Lamb (Furman) | 70-76-70 = 216 (E) |
| T4. | Lauren Hunt (North Carolina) | 74-75-69 = 218 (+2) |
| T4. | Marci Turner (Tennessee) | 73-77-68 = 218 (+2) |
| T6. | Amanda Blumenherst (Duke) | 73-71-75 = 219 (+3) |
| T6. | Christel Boeljon (Purdue) | 73-77-69 = 219 (+3) |
| 8. | Leah Wigger (Virginia) | 71-76-73 = 220 (+4) |
| T9. | Anna Grzebien (Duke) | 74-73-76 = 223 (+7) |
| T9. | WHITNEY MYERS (FLORIDA) | 75-70-78 = 223 (+7) |
| T9. | Whitney Wade (Georgia) | 74-75-74 = 223 (+7) |
Final Florida Results
| Place | Player | Score |
| T1. | Sandra Gal | 72-74-69 = 215 (-1) |
| T9. | Whitney Myers | 75-70-78 = 223 (+7) |
| T32. | Tiffany Chudy | 74-75-81 = 230 (+14) |
| T42. | Mallory Blackwelder | 78-75-79 = 232 (+16) |
| T47. | Ornella Jouven | 77-81-76 = 234 (+18) |
-UF-
