Florida Gators
SunTrust Gator Women's Golf Invitational
Women's Golf In Command After 36 Holes at SunTrust Gator Women's Invitational
Monday, March 7, 2011 | Women's Golf
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida women's golf team exploited the advantage of playing on its home course on a windy, and occasionally rainy, day at the par-70, 6,002-yard Mark Bostick Golf Course to take a 17-stroke lead over second place Florida State into Monday's final round. At the end of the first 18 holes of competition, Florida used solid play from the entire lineup to match the SunTrust Gator Women's Golf Invitational record for lowest score in a round with a 280 (E) and as a result, led by 10 strokes over second place Coastal Carolina.
“It was our best round of the season by far,” head coach Jan Dowling said. “We were making putts for birdies and it was great to see. It was a lot of fun and just showed them how good they can be. It was a heck of a round especially with the wind, and a little bit of rain too. The other cool thing is that they never let down. There were birdies being made at the end of the round which I love seeing. There is some pressure that comes with playing at home and we handled that really well.”
The Orange and Blue extended its lead in the second round and are well-positioned to claim its first title in this event since 2008. All five Gators in the rotation currently are in the top 15 on the individual leaderboard.
Evan Jensen (Belleair, Fla.) completed her first round with a 69 (-1) – her fifth even or under par round of the season. After a bogey on her third hole, Jensen posted two straight birdies on the seventh and eighth holes to move to one-under. She dropped back to one-over after bogeys on 10 and 13 but recovered with birdies on 15 and 17. One of the highlights of the day was a 40-foot putt that she managed to sink on 15 for an unlikely birdie.
“I wasn't expecting to make it,” Jensen admitted. “It was a long putt, up the hill and in the rain.”
In round two, she bogeyed her first hole but followed with seven consecutive pars heading into the back nine. She played her final nine holes at two-over and will enter the third round tied for fourth with a 142 (+2), four strokes back of the leader, Charlotte Lorentzen of Georgia State. Jensen is tied for fifth thus far in birdies with six and is tied for second in par-5 scoring as she was two-under on the six par-5's.
“I was pleased with the way I played, pretty solid,” Jensen said. “In the second round, I had one little hiccup but I played really well in the first round. I putted well, made some long putts which was nice. I had a lot of pars and it was good to play well.”
Isabelle Lendl (Goshen, Conn.) was two-under in the first round for the second time in a week, firing a season-low 68 (-2) on her opening 18 holes. She birdied the first hole and after bogeys on No. 3 and 10, got on a roll. A birdie on the par-5 12th ignited the Gator sophomore and she reeled off birdies on 14 and 17 to close the round in sole possession of second. The Connecticut native tied for eighth in birdies with five and was among the leaders in par-3 scoriing (tied for 13th) and par-4 scoring (tied for 10th).
“I'm pretty nervous and I think that helps me be extra careful and really pay attention to detail,” Lendl explained. “That is probably why I get off to good starts.”
The second round proved more challenging as she posted a 77 (+7) to head to the final round tied for 11th with a 36-hole tally of 145. While she is just outside the top-10, Lendl was not content with her position and could be seen at the driving range after she had completed her evening.
“I wasn't satisfied with my ball-striking today,” Lendl said. “I knew what was going on but I wanted to double-check before tomorrow so I don't have to make adjustments the day of.”
Junior Andrea Watts (Bradenton, Fla.) returned to Florida's rotation and joined Lendl with a total score of 145 (+5). Watts had played a solid first round and was at two-over through before a double bogey on 18 put her at four-over at the end of 18 holes. She was resilient and had a stretch from holes one through eight where she made three birdies to go two-under early in round two. She completed her day with six pars and four bogeys.
“Andrea came back into the lineup and really stepped up for us,” Dowling said.
Sophomore Mia Piccio (Bacolod City, Philippines) kept her positive momentum from the previous two spring tournaments going as she was the third Gator to total a 36-hole score of 145. Piccio delivered another steady performance – she has not recorded anything worse than a bogey in her last five rounds – and did the bulk of her damage on the par-5's where she is tied for second after notching a two-under on those six holes.
Jessica Yadloczky (Casselberry, Fla.) is currently knotted for 15th after posting a 146 (71-75, +6). Yadloczky remained consistent in the difficult conditions and completed her first round one stroke shy of her season-best for a round. She struggled early in the second round and was five-over through eight at one point, but recovered to play the remaining 10 holes at par. The senior captain proved adept on the par-4's as she is tied for fifth in scoring (+1) on those holes.
Megan Pak (Bradenton, Fla.), competing as an individual, shot a 155 (76-79, +15) in her two rounds Sunday, highlighted by her two birdies on No. 8 and 11 in the first round.
Florida will attempt to win its seventh SunTrust Gator Women's Invitational crown in the last 12 years and its first tournament since the 2010 Central District Invitational when play resumes with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start tomorrow. The Gators tee off on holes one through three and are paired with Florida State and Arkansas.
Track the day's proceedings on www.golfstat.com, follow along on Twitter for team updates and check www.gatorzone.com for complete results and a recap at the conclusion of the final round.
Team Scores After Round 2
| Place | School | 1 | 2 | Score |
| 1. | Florida | 280 | 292 | 572 (+12) |
| 2. | Florida State | 295 | 294 | 589 (+29) |
| 3. | Arkansas | 298 | 296 | 594 (+34) |
| T4. | Iowa State | 302 | 294 | 596 (+36) |
| T4. | Coastal Carolina | 290 | 306 | 596 (+36) |
| T4. | Colorado | 300 | 296 | 596 (+36) |
| 7. | Ohio State | 299 | 300 | 599 (+39) |
| 8. | Chattanooga | 297 | 304 | 601 (+41) |
| 9. | Georgia State | 308 | 294 | 602 (+42) |
| 10. | Texas Tech | 304 | 303 | 607 (+47) |
| 11. | UCF | 298 | 310 | 608 (+48) |
| 12. | Augusta State | 307 | 302 | 609 (+49) |
| 13. | Kent State | 296 | 314 | 610 (+50) |
| 14. | James Madison | 307 | 312 | 619 (+59) |
| 15. | UNC-Greensboro | 308 | 317 | 625 (+65) |
| 16. | Missouri | 315 | 313 | 628 (+68) |
| 17. | Stetson | 320 | 321 | 641 (+81) |
Individual Top 10 Through Round 2
| Place | Player (School) | 1 | 2 | Score |
| 1. | Charlotte Lorentzen (Georgia State) | 74 | 64 | 138 (-2) |
| 2. | Vicky Villanueva (Ohio State) | 72 | 67 | 139 (-1) |
| 3. | Hannah Thomson (Florida State) | 69 | 72 | 141 (+1) |
| T4. | Evan Jensen (Florida) | 69 | 73 | 142 (+2) |
| T4. | Emily Talley (Colorado) | 71 | 71 | 142 (+2) |
| T6. | Gabriella Dominguez (Texas Tech) | 72 | 71 | 143 (+3) |
| T6. | Kaitlyn Price (UCF) | 67 | 76 | 143 (+3) |
| T6. | Jessica Wallace (Colorado) | 75 | 68 | 143 (+3) |
| T9. | Corinna Rees (Arkansas) | 69 | 75 | 144 (+4) |
| T9. | Alicia Grier (Coastal Carolina) | 69 | 75 | 144 (+4) |
Florida Results After Round 2
| Place | Player | 1 | 2 | Score |
| T4. | Evan Jensen | 69 | 73 | 142 (+2) |
| T11. | Andrea Watts | 74 | 71 | 145 (+5) |
| T11. | Mia Piccio | 72 | 73 | 145 (+5) |
| T11. | Isabelle Lendl | 68 | 77 | 145 (+5) |
| T15. | Jessica Yadloczky | 71 | 75 | 146 (+6) |
| T50. | Megan Pak* | 76 | 79 | 155 (+15) |
*Competed as an individual
