Monday, January 29
Black Diamond, Fla.
ALL DAY
Florida Gators
at
Florida Challenge
Sophomore Sierra Brooks finished atop the leaderboard in her Florida debut on Monday. (Photo: Alex de la Osa/UAA Communications)
Brooks wins Florida Challenge in Gator debut
Monday, January 29, 2018 | Women's Golf
Florida finishes one stroke back for the team title.
LECANTO, Fla. -- In her first tournament as a Gator, sophomore Sierra Brooks won the Florida Challenge with a score of 6-under.
Brooks entered the 18th hole tied with Miami's Dewi Weber for the lead at 5-under. After a drive down the middle of the fairway, Brooks' second shot reached the green leaving it pin high for an eagle try. The eagle putt just rimmed out but, a tap-in birdie gave Brooks the win as Weber carded a par.
She was even through her second round before carding five birdies over the final 10 holes to claim the title.
In total, the Gators had four more players finish in the top 20, including Carlotta Ricolfi, who joined Brooks in the top 10 on the leaderboard. Ricolfi, who won the tournament last year, was even-par through the first 18 holes while carding a 3-over 75 in the second round.
Taylor Tomlinson and Elin Esborn were just one stroke back of Ricolfi at 4-over. Just like Ricolfi, Tomlinson and Esborn turned in even par first rounds before posting 4-over rounds in the second 18 holes.
Coach's Take:
On tournament -- "We always enjoy coming to this event and although it's early in the year it's a very important event on our schedule. It's great to get some competition in before we head to California next week as the field there is one of the best all year. This also gives us the opportunity to expose some weaknesses that need to be focused on in the coming weeks."
On team's performance -- "We needed more of a team effort today to win, overall we needed to play with more discipline and maturity. I think that held us back more than anything. Certainly some things to improve on but we are up to the task."
On Sierra -- "Everyone is thrilled for Sierra and so happy for her win. She played some outstanding golf especially on the last nine holes. I've been really impressed with her work ethic in these first few weeks and her golf IQ is very high. We are excited to continue to work with her and couldn't be happier to have her home as a Gator. " -- Coach Emily Glaser
Final Leaderboard:
Team:
Florida Players:
Individuals:
Next Up
The Gators travel to Palos Verdes, Calif., for the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge on Feb. 11-13. Florida finished fourth in the event last season while Tomlinson won a share of the individual title with a 209 (-4).
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Brooks entered the 18th hole tied with Miami's Dewi Weber for the lead at 5-under. After a drive down the middle of the fairway, Brooks' second shot reached the green leaving it pin high for an eagle try. The eagle putt just rimmed out but, a tap-in birdie gave Brooks the win as Weber carded a par.
She was even through her second round before carding five birdies over the final 10 holes to claim the title.
In total, the Gators had four more players finish in the top 20, including Carlotta Ricolfi, who joined Brooks in the top 10 on the leaderboard. Ricolfi, who won the tournament last year, was even-par through the first 18 holes while carding a 3-over 75 in the second round.
Taylor Tomlinson and Elin Esborn were just one stroke back of Ricolfi at 4-over. Just like Ricolfi, Tomlinson and Esborn turned in even par first rounds before posting 4-over rounds in the second 18 holes.
Coach's Take:
On tournament -- "We always enjoy coming to this event and although it's early in the year it's a very important event on our schedule. It's great to get some competition in before we head to California next week as the field there is one of the best all year. This also gives us the opportunity to expose some weaknesses that need to be focused on in the coming weeks."
On team's performance -- "We needed more of a team effort today to win, overall we needed to play with more discipline and maturity. I think that held us back more than anything. Certainly some things to improve on but we are up to the task."
On Sierra -- "Everyone is thrilled for Sierra and so happy for her win. She played some outstanding golf especially on the last nine holes. I've been really impressed with her work ethic in these first few weeks and her golf IQ is very high. We are excited to continue to work with her and couldn't be happier to have her home as a Gator. " -- Coach Emily Glaser
Final Leaderboard:
Team:
| 1 | Miami (FL) | 582 (+6) |
| 2 | Florida | 583 (+7) |
| 3 | Louisville | 588 (+12) |
| 4 | Kentucky | 596 (+20) |
| 5 | Jacksonville | 599 (+23) |
| 6 | UCF | 606 (+30) |
| 7 | Florida International | 608 (+32) |
| 8 | Louisville (B) | 611 (+35) |
| 9 | USF | 632 (+56) |
Florida Players:
| Sierra Brooks | 1 | 138 (-6) |
| Carlotta Ricolfi | T9 | 147 (+3) |
| Taylor Tomlinson | T11 | 148 (+4) |
| Marta Perez | T16 | 150 (+6) |
| Addie Baggarly | T24 | 152 (+8) |
Individuals:
| Elin Esborn | T11 | 148 (+4) |
| Lauren Waidner | T34 | 154 (+10) |
Next Up
The Gators travel to Palos Verdes, Calif., for the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge on Feb. 11-13. Florida finished fourth in the event last season while Tomlinson won a share of the individual title with a 209 (-4).
Follow the Gators
FloridaGators.com
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