Florida Gators
SunTrust Gator Women's Golf Invitational
Vlckova and Florida Finish Runner-Up at SunTrust Gator Women’s Golf Invitational
Sunday, March 8, 2015 | Women's Golf
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Gator women's golf team finished second at its lone home tournament of the season, the SunTrust Gator Invitational. As a team, Florida saved the best for last recording its lowest team total (293) on Sunday to bring its 54-hole total to 889.
Sophomore Karolina Vlckova led the Orange and Blue by putting up back-to-back season-best scores of one-over (71), to combine for a season-low total of 216 and tied for her collegiate-best finish of second place.
Three other members of the Orange and Blue fought into the top-25, including sophomore Kelly Grassel and senior Anna Young who finished in a tie for 10th with a total of 224 strokes. Freshman Taylor Tomlinson finished in the top-25 for the fourth time this season, using a +2 (72) in Round 3 to tie for 21st as she carded a mark of 226.
The 15-team field featured three of Golfweek's top-25 teams, with No. 11 Arizona (879) holding leading the tournament wire-to-wire and earning the team title for the second straight year. The Wildcats finished ahead of Florida by 10 strokes at the 6,002-yard Mark Bostick Golf Course. Individually, Manon Gidali of Arizona took home the individual title finishing with a five-over 215.
Head Coach Emily Glaser:
Thoughts on the Gators' final round play:
“I know the team is disappointed that they didn't score better today. Arizona gave us a little window, but we were not able to capitalize.”
On lessons learned:
“Overall it was a tremendous learning week for our team. We talked before the tournament about how to deal with nerves and managing expectations, but sometimes you can't learn how to do that without going through it. That's just one example of how we got better this week and these experiences will serve us well down the road.”
On Vlckova performance this weekend:
“I'm very happy for Karolina and the steps she made with her game this week. She did a fantastic job of staying focused and in the present during today's last round. She was nervous at the start but was able to get relaxed and play solid the remainder of the round. I had a great time walking the last few holes with her and watching her finish.”
Sophomore Karolina Vlckova:
On leading the team:
“With my score I would always take second. We all played good and of course I wanted to win, but I was one shot away and you can't really think about it. Of course I'm happy with second place.”
On playing under pressure:
“I had a lot on my mind and I tried to not think about it, because I was a little nervous. With it being the home tournament and our home course, I knew people were going to come and watch us. On my first hole I made a bogey and I shook it off and than thought I could play like normal.”
Arizona Head Coach Laura Ianello:
“I was really proud of our team, they played really well. The course was playing extremely difficult and Coach Glaser and Coach Olivencia told us the conditions would be difficult, as people can see from the high scores. My team's short game was really sharp. We stayed patient and our goal after the practice round was to not get too upset about getting a bogey because you knew that would happen. They stayed within themselves and played good golf.”
Arizona's Manon Gidali:
On winning the tournament:
“It feels great. I haven't won individually for the past two years and I had a really bad season last year, as I wasn't really playing for the team. I worked really hard to get back at it and this victory means a lot right now. I played really good and tried to stay patient and in the present.”
The Orange and Blue Crew:
| SunTrust Gator Invitational – Final Florida Players | ||
| Place | Player | Score |
| T2. | Karolina Vlckova (5) | +6 (74-71-71—216) |
| T10. | Kelly Grassel (4) | +14 (71-75-78—224) |
| T10. | Anna Young* | +14 (74-78-72—224) |
| T21. | Taylor Tomlinson (1) | +16 (77-77-72—226) |
| T26. | Camilla Hedberg (2) | +18 (75-77-76—228) |
| T26. | Maria Torres (3) | +18 (78-76-74—228) |
| T65. | Ursa Orehek* | +30 (82-81-77—240) |
| *Denotes competed as an individual. | ||
Tournament Field Results:
| SunTrust Gator Invitational – Final Team Scores | ||
| Place | Team | Score |
| 1. | Arizona | +39 (879) |
| 2. | FLORIDA | +49 (889) |
| 3. | Florida State | +62 (902) |
| 4. | Denver | +67 (907) |
| 5. | UCF | +68 (908) |
| 6. | Ohio State | +72 (912) |
| 7. | Tulane | +75 (915) |
| T8. | Kent State | +76 (916) |
| T8. | GRU Augusta | +76 (916) |
| 10. | NC State | +76 (916) |
| 11. | Florida International | +80 (920) |
| 12. | UTSA | +81 (921) |
| T13. | Penn State | +104 (944) |
| T13. | Missouri | +104 (944) |
| 15. | Clemson | +114 (954) |
| SunTrust Gator Invitational – Final Individual Top 10 | ||
| Place | Player (School) | Score |
| 1. | Manon Gidali (Arizona) | +5 (215) |
| T2. | Lindsay McGetrick (NC State) | +6 (216) |
| T2. | Karolina Vlckova (FLORIDA) | +6 (146) |
| 4. | Lydia Gumm (Florida State) | +8 (218) |
| 5. | Gemma Dryburgh (Tulane) | +9 (219) |
| T6. | Isabel Southard (Denver) | +10 (220) |
| T6. | Krystal Quihuis (Arizona) | +10 (220) |
| T8. | Fanny Cnops (UCF) | +13 (223) |
| T8. | Lindsey Weaver (Arizona) | +13 (223) |
| T10. | Wanasa Zhou (Arizona) | +14 (224) |
| T10. | Meghan MacLaren (Florida International) | +14 (224) |
| T10. | Anna Young (Florida)* | +14 (224) |
| T10. | Jan Chanpalangsri (Ohio State) | +14 (224) |
| T10. | Jessica Carty (Denver) | +14 (224) |
| T10. | Katja Pogacar (Ohio State) | +14 (224) |
| T10. | Teresa Caballer Hernani (GRU Augusta) | +14 (224) |
| T10. | Kelly Grassel (Florida) | +14 (224) |
Up Next for the Gators: The Orange and Blue will travel to Charleston, S.C. on March 23-24 to compete at the Briar's Creek Invitational hosted by the College of Charleston.
Follow the Gators: For complete coverage of the Gators' women's golf program, visit GatorZone.com, follow @GatorZoneGolf on Twitter @gatorwomensgolf on Instagram and 'like' the University of Florida Women's Golf page on Facebook.
