Monday, January 30
Tampa, FL
Florida Gators
at
University of South Florida
Freshman Elin Esborn will make her debut for the Gators at the Florida Challenge
Florida to Open Spring Season at Florida Challenge
Sunday, January 29, 2017 | Women's Golf
TAMPA, Fla. -- The University of Florida women's golf team will begin its spring season on Monday at the Florida Challenge in Tampa. Among the 11 teams in the field, four of them are ranked in the top-25 including the No. 8 Gators.
Florida has competed at the Florida Challenge every year since the inaugural event in 2013. The Gators will be looking to repeat as they won the title at the 2016 Florida Challenge, with a score of -5 (571).
UF finished the tournament with a 12-stroke lead over the field.
Senior Kelly Grassel and junior Taylor Tomlinson both won a share of the individual title. Grassel and Tomlinson finished the tournament at -3 (141) in a four-way tie for first with Matilda Castren and Lydia Gumm from Florida State a year ago.
UF is coming off a solid fall season that began with a win at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship back in September. Just two weeks ago, Grassel won the 2017 South Atlantic Women's Amateur Championship at the Oceanside Country Club. She finished the tournament at eight-under (280) after four rounds of play.
Grassel was one of many Gators who played very well at the SALLY. Florida will look to carry that momentum into Monday's competition.
Course Information: The tournament is being held at the Par-72, 6,114 yards Black Diamond Ranch Quarry Course in Lecanto, Fla.
Format: 36-hole stroke play where teams will play two rounds over one day
Tee Times:
Monday Rd. 1 – 7:45 a.m.
*Denotes Competing as an Individual
Rd. 2 – Continuous play from Round 1
The Gators' Lineup:
Senior Maria Torres (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico): Finished the fall season with the second lowest 54-hole score on the team and tied for sixth finish at the Annika Intercollegiate.
Freshman Elin Esborn (Göteborg, Sweden): The freshman will make her Orange and Blue debut.
Senior Kelly Grassel (Chesterton, Ind.): Captured the South Atlantic Amateur Women's Championship title in January and she notched a second place finish at the Pat Bradley Invitational competing as an individual.
Freshman Marta Perez (Valencia, Spain): Competed in every fall tournament, with her best finish coming at the Windy City Classic where she tied for seventh place.
Senior Karolina Vlckova (Unhošt, Czech Republic): Carded a 66 third round of the Annika Classic, which tied the third-lowest round in program history.
Individuals:
Freshman Carlotta Ricolfi (San Remo, Italy): Finished the fall season with one top-25 finish at the Windy City Classic.
Junior Taylor Tomlinson (Gainesville, Fla.): Took home three top-10 finishes this fall, but she recorded her best finish at the Pat Bradley Invitational where she finished fourth.
Sophomore Sam Wagner (Windermere, Fla.): Shot a 64 in the final round of the Pat Bradley Invitational, setting a new program record for a low-round score.
Sophomore Madison Pacheco (Pensacola, Fla.): Finished in a tie for 22nd at the 2016 Florida Challenge.
Senior Sydney Needham (Villa Rica, Ga.): Competed in one tournament this fall for the Gators.
Head Coach Emily Glaser Says:
On beginning the spring season…
"I know everyone is looking forward to competing this week and getting the season started. It's a long season and it is a process to be playing your best golf at the end of the year. But, that is what makes these early events so important. It is an opportunity to test your skills and look for ways to learn and improve."
On competing in the Florida Challenge…
"I think the state of Florida as a whole hasn't been this deep in many years. So it's fun that this event has grown into a more competitive one and it will be a great way to begin our spring season."
Tournament Field (Golfweek rankings as of Jan. 19, 2017):
Florida (8)
Florida Gulf Coast
Florida International
Florida State (3)
Jacksonville
Miami (11)
North Florida
Seminole State
Stetson
UCF (24)
USF
Follow the Gators:
Play will begin on Monday, Jan. 30, with the Gators teeing off at from at 7:45 a.m. Live scoring will be available on BirdieFire.com. A complete recap with full results will be posted on FloridaGators.com following the day's play.
Twitter: @GatorsGolf
Instagram: @GatorsWGolf
Facebook: University of Florida Women's Golf
Florida has competed at the Florida Challenge every year since the inaugural event in 2013. The Gators will be looking to repeat as they won the title at the 2016 Florida Challenge, with a score of -5 (571).
UF finished the tournament with a 12-stroke lead over the field.
Senior Kelly Grassel and junior Taylor Tomlinson both won a share of the individual title. Grassel and Tomlinson finished the tournament at -3 (141) in a four-way tie for first with Matilda Castren and Lydia Gumm from Florida State a year ago.
UF is coming off a solid fall season that began with a win at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship back in September. Just two weeks ago, Grassel won the 2017 South Atlantic Women's Amateur Championship at the Oceanside Country Club. She finished the tournament at eight-under (280) after four rounds of play.
Grassel was one of many Gators who played very well at the SALLY. Florida will look to carry that momentum into Monday's competition.
Course Information: The tournament is being held at the Par-72, 6,114 yards Black Diamond Ranch Quarry Course in Lecanto, Fla.
Format: 36-hole stroke play where teams will play two rounds over one day
Tee Times:
Monday Rd. 1 – 7:45 a.m.
| Player | Hole | Time (Eastern) |
| Maria Torres | 1B | 7:45 a.m. |
| Elin Esborn | 1A | 7:45 a.m. |
| Kelly Grassel | 2B | 7:45 a.m. |
| Marta Perez | 2A | 7:45 a.m. |
| Karolina Vlckova | 3A | 7:45 a.m. |
| Carlotta Ricolfi* | 15A | 7:45 a.m. |
| Taylor Tomlinson* | 14A | 7:45 a.m. |
| Sam Wagner* | 12B | 7:45 a.m. |
| Madison Pacheco* | 13A | 7:45 a.m. |
| Sydney Needham* | 12A | 7:45 a.m. |
Rd. 2 – Continuous play from Round 1
The Gators' Lineup:
Senior Maria Torres (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico): Finished the fall season with the second lowest 54-hole score on the team and tied for sixth finish at the Annika Intercollegiate.
Freshman Elin Esborn (Göteborg, Sweden): The freshman will make her Orange and Blue debut.
Senior Kelly Grassel (Chesterton, Ind.): Captured the South Atlantic Amateur Women's Championship title in January and she notched a second place finish at the Pat Bradley Invitational competing as an individual.
Freshman Marta Perez (Valencia, Spain): Competed in every fall tournament, with her best finish coming at the Windy City Classic where she tied for seventh place.
Senior Karolina Vlckova (Unhošt, Czech Republic): Carded a 66 third round of the Annika Classic, which tied the third-lowest round in program history.
Individuals:
Freshman Carlotta Ricolfi (San Remo, Italy): Finished the fall season with one top-25 finish at the Windy City Classic.
Junior Taylor Tomlinson (Gainesville, Fla.): Took home three top-10 finishes this fall, but she recorded her best finish at the Pat Bradley Invitational where she finished fourth.
Sophomore Sam Wagner (Windermere, Fla.): Shot a 64 in the final round of the Pat Bradley Invitational, setting a new program record for a low-round score.
Sophomore Madison Pacheco (Pensacola, Fla.): Finished in a tie for 22nd at the 2016 Florida Challenge.
Senior Sydney Needham (Villa Rica, Ga.): Competed in one tournament this fall for the Gators.
Head Coach Emily Glaser Says:
On beginning the spring season…
"I know everyone is looking forward to competing this week and getting the season started. It's a long season and it is a process to be playing your best golf at the end of the year. But, that is what makes these early events so important. It is an opportunity to test your skills and look for ways to learn and improve."
On competing in the Florida Challenge…
"I think the state of Florida as a whole hasn't been this deep in many years. So it's fun that this event has grown into a more competitive one and it will be a great way to begin our spring season."
Tournament Field (Golfweek rankings as of Jan. 19, 2017):
Florida (8)
Florida Gulf Coast
Florida International
Florida State (3)
Jacksonville
Miami (11)
North Florida
Seminole State
Stetson
UCF (24)
USF
Follow the Gators:
Play will begin on Monday, Jan. 30, with the Gators teeing off at from at 7:45 a.m. Live scoring will be available on BirdieFire.com. A complete recap with full results will be posted on FloridaGators.com following the day's play.
Twitter: @GatorsGolf
Instagram: @GatorsWGolf
Facebook: University of Florida Women's Golf
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
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/ Women's Golf
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