Florida W. Golf Travels to Mississippi to Vie for SEC Title
Thursday, April 14, 2005 | Women's Golf
Currently ranked 14th by the latest Golfstat poll, the University of Florida women's golf team will travel to Tunica, Miss., to participate in the 2005 Southeastern Conference Women's Golf Championship, held on the Tunica National golf course, a par 72, 7,210-yard course. The tournament will begin on Friday, April 15 and will conclude on Sunday, April 17.
Traveling to the three-day, 54-hole tournament will be a young Gator team, consisting of four freshmen and the team's only senior. All rounds of the tournament will begin at 8:30 a.m.
"The SEC title is the goal. We would like to be the champions and its very do able," said women's head coach Jill Briles-Hinton. "We are taking four very solid freshmen and one senior, Andrea Vander Lende. Andrea has been through a lot and she is equally as strong. We have a great chance to capture the title."
Florida will be facing a tournament field of 11 other teams, six of which are ranked in the top-20, including the Lady Gators. According to the latest NGCA rankings, Florida will face No. 3 Auburn, No. 6 Georgia, No. 10 Tennessee, No. 14 LSU and No. 19 Arkansas, while being ranked 15th themselves. The Lady Gators are currently rank fifth in the conference, with two Gators occupying spots in the top-25 in SEC individual rankings.
"The SEC teams are very comparable and we have a shot to win," Briles-Hinton said. "There is no clear-cut team in the SEC. Auburn, Georgia and Florida are all going to battle it out this year for the title. LSU will be there as well. We haven't seen them play yet this year. They are a pretty good team as well. We are facing tough competition, but we are part of the toughness as well."
Leading the squad into the first tournament of the post season is freshman Tiffany Chudy. Chudy currently cards the team low stroke average with a 75.1. She also holds five top-10 finishes this season, the most of any Lady Gator. Chudy is also the only Lady Gator golfer to compete in all nine tournaments this season.
Following in the line up with be freshman Sandra Gal, UF's late bloomer who became a major factor in scoring late in the year. Gal currently holds a 75.8 stroke average, the second lowest on the squad. Vander Lende will be Florida' third golfer. As a senior, Vander Lende is the most seasoned Gator, competing in over 100 rounds of golf since her freshman debut in 2001. She currently cards a 76.0 stroke average and holds a tournament low of 225.
Whitney Myers will be the fourth golfer on UF's list. Myers was Florida strongest golfer in the 2004 fall season. Myers, who cards a 76.6 average, has recorded on top-10 finish and three top-25 finishes with a seventh-place best. And rounding out the starting five is freshman Eleanor Tucker. Tucker has competed in only one other tournament for Florida this season, the 2005 Lady Gator Invitational. Seeing nine rounds of golf as a Gator, Tucker also participated in the N. Grumman Regional and the Lady Puerto Rico as an individual. She holds a 77.3 stroke average.
Last time out in league play, Florida finished in fifth place in the 2004 SEC Championship, with three Lady Gators ending play in the top-10. UF finished five strokes over on the final day, en route to a season-low score of 885 (302-290-293, +21).
Results from the 2005 Southeastern Conference Women's Golf Championship are live and can be found at GolfStat.com or by visiting the GatorZone website at the conclusion of each day.
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