Florida Gators
Therese Hession Regional Challenge
No. 6 Gators continue spring at Therese Hession Regional Challenge
Thursday, January 29, 2026 | Women's Golf
The field features nine top-25 teams at Palos Verdes GC from Feb. 1-3.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Dates: Sunday, Feb. 1 - Tuesday, Feb. 3
Location: Palos Verdes Golf Club - Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
Host: Ohio State University
Course Par/Yardage: 71 / 6,017 yards
Format: 18 holes each day
Tee Times: 12 p.m. on Sunday & Monday and 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday
Live Scoring: Clippd
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
TEE OFF
After winning the spring opener and third straight tournament, the No. 6 Florida women's golf team continues the spring season at the Therese Hession Regional Challenge at Palos Verdes Golf Club from Feb. 1-3.
LINEUP
No. 1 - Paula Francisco
No. 2 - Siuue Wu
No. 3 - Megan Propeck
No. 4 - Katelyn Huber
No. 5 - Inés Archer
Individuals:
Addison Klonowski
THE FIELD
No. 13 Arizona State, Cal, No. 6 Florida, Kansas, Miami, No. 3 Oregon, Ohio State, No. 9 Pepperdine, San Jose State, SMU, No. 18 South Carolina, No. 11 Texas, No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 23 UCLA, UNLV and No. 2 USC.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gators started the spring last week with a victory at the Sea Best Intercollegiate. Florida's win marked the third straight tournament win this season and a successful title defense at the event. The team shot a tournament score of 836 (-28) for the second-lowest 54-hole score in program history – one shot from the program record – in addition to Paula Francisco tying the program individual 54-hole record with a 202 (-14) and finishing runner-up.
The team title is the third straight victory of the season after closing the fall with back-to-back wins at the OU Intercollegiate and The Ally (third straight victory at the event). The victory also marked three straight seasons of three consecutive tournament victories.
It is also the 12th win and 22nd top-3 outing since the 2022-23 season. The tournament title was also the 39th all-time under head coach Emily Glaser; 40th total as she was an assistant coach for a season in 2011-12. It is the third straight season with three-plus single-season wins and seventh time overall under Glaser. The three consecutive seasons of three-plus single-season tournament victories is the third occurrence in program history; 1984-87 and 1993-96.
FALL RECAP
Florida closed the fall with back-to-back wins at the OU Intercollegiate and The Ally while finishing 3rd and runner-up in the other two fall outings. Florida's win in the fall finale at The Ally was its third straight at the event and marked the 11th win and 21st top-3 outing since the 2022-23 season. The tournament title was also the 38th all-time under head coach Emily Glaser; 39th total as she was an assistant coach for a season in 2011-12. It is the third straight season with multiple wins and nine overall under Glaser in 14 seasons.
Individually, transfer Megan Propeck won her first collegiate event at the OU Intercollegiate by four shots and final round of 67 (-3). She leads the team in stroke average (71.4), top-10s (3), top-25s (4), and under par tournaments (3).
THE SILENT ASSASSIN
Playing in first collegiate season, Addison Klonowski was key factor in the Gators' success last season.
Klonowski had the top finish (T24, -2) by a Gator freshman at the National Championship in 20 years. The redshirt-freshman joined the Gators in the spring of last season and redshirted before becoming a mainstay in the lineup in her first season of collegiate golf en route to earning SEC All-Freshman Team honors. Klonowski also secured both match-clinching points in the SEC Championship Quarterfinals (3&2 vs. LSU) and Semifinals (1Up vs. Arkansas). She was in the lineup for all 12 tournaments, including the No. 1 spot on three occasions and led the lineup in top-25 finishes (10) and under par rounds (13).
Off the course, she earned Academic All-American honors.
NEW FACES IN THE ORANGE & BLUE
The Gators welcomed a pair of new golfers this season in All-American Graduate transfer Megan Propeck (Leawood, Kan.) from Virginia and Gainesville native Katelyn Huber (P.K. Yonge HS), who both are in the lineup this week.
Florida also welcomed the 2024 Florida State Amateur Champion & Junior Player of the Year in Sophia Dyer (Shorecrest Preparatory) this spring. She is a legacy Gator, brother Blake (2016-20) and dad Kevin (1984-88) were members of the men's golf program
NO MORE BABY GATORS
After rolling out a lineup of all underclassmen, the Gators are an experience team as the group finished won five tournaments, qualified for the NCAA National Championship for the first time in 2019 and finished runner-up at the SEC Championship. All five from the National Championship lineup return, headlined by Paula Francisco, who was tabbed a preseason All-American by Golf Channel.
The young Gators also collected some preseason recognition by being ranked No. 10 via Golf Channel and No. 12 via Golfweek and WGCA Coach's Poll.
A SEASON AGO
Last season a young Gators squad laid the ground work behind five tournament victories, a runner-up finish at the SEC Championship, T3 at NCAA Regionals and advancing to the NCAA National Championships for the first time since 2019, and finished 17th. Additionally, Florida was the only team in the field of 30 teams at NCAAs, to play an all underclassmen lineup each round and travel a fully freshman-sophomore group.
Individually, freshman Jessica Guiser won the Gators Invitational becoming the second UF freshman to earn medalist honors at the 53rd Gators Invitational while head coach Emily Glaser was tabbed to the WGCA National Coach of the Year Watch List.
Closing out the successful season on a strong note and momentum into next season, redshirt-freshman Addison Klonowski finished T24 with a final round of 2-under for the best finish by a UF freshman golfer at the NCAA National Championships since Tiffany Chuddy (T16) in 2005.
The Gators qualified for the National Championships for the first time since 2019 behind sophomore Paula Francisco's runner-up finish with a 54-hole score of 4-under 209 at the Charlottesville Regional, as she was just one shot behind medalist honors. Francisco led through the first two rounds and opened her second start in
regionals with a career-low 4-under 67, her second of the postseason after the same mark in round one of the SEC Championship. She was tied for a tournament-best this week with 12 birdies and one eagle. The finish is the best by a Gator at an NCAA Regional since 2017 when Kelly Grassel won medalist honors in Columbus.
Florida had a final team round of 293 (+9) for a three-round score of 864 (+12) to finish tied for 3rd with host Virginia and earn a trip to the final tournament of the season behind an all underclassmen lineup of three sophomores and two freshmen while overcoming some heart breakers at regionals over the last four years, including missing by a shot in back-to-back seasons (2021 & 2022) and leading at the turn last year.
At the SEC Championship, led by a lineup of all underclassmen (three sophomores & two freshmen). The Gators reached the match play finals for the second time in program history since the format was added in 2018 after defeating the No. 2 seed LSU Tigers 5-0 and the No. 6 seed and No. 2 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks 3-2. UF was edged in the finals 3.5-1.5 to the No. 1 seed and veteran (two seniors & graduate student) South Carolina Gamecocks.
All five in the lineup had key moments in the conference tournament as Addison Klonowski highlighted her first appearance with two match-clinching point victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals while firing a final stroke play round of 3-under 67 to help UF advance to match play. Paula Francisco placed T11 in stroke play and went 2-0-1 in match play with two big putts on the 18th, one to clinch a point in the semifinals and another to keep Florida's SEC title hopes alive in the finals.
Florida defended home turf and swept the 53rd Gators Invitational, winning the event for the 27th time in program history in the tournament's 53rd occurrence, dating back to 1973. The Gators won the tournament for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons. Six UF golfers finished in top-23 led by Guiser's first collegiate victory at 4-under 206. The last time Florida swept both the team and individual titles at the home tournament was in 2021. The win by Guiser marks the second Florida freshman to win the Gators Invitational in program history joining RikoHigashio (1996), becoming the 11th UF golfer to earn medalist honors at the home tournament and just fourth underclassmen: Annabell Fuller (2021) and Sandral Gal (2006).
In the fall portion of the season, Florida closed out the first leg of the season with back-to-back victories, including defending its team title at The Ally. The Gators shot a final round of 6-under to end 15-under for a six-shot victory over host Mississippi State.
THE TURN
Florida returns back to the 'Sunshine State' at the Moon Golf Invitational (Feb. 15-17) and hosting the Gators Invitational (March 6-8).
Players Mentioned
