No. 5 Gators Begin Spring at FAU Paradise Invitational

Monday, February 7

Boca Raton, Fla. / Osprey Point Golf Course

8 a.m. (36 Holes)

Florida Gators

FAU Paradise Invitational

Maisie Filler finished the fall with the best stroke average with 71.3 for the Gators.

No. 5 Gators Begin Spring at FAU Paradise Invitational

Saturday, February 5, 2022 | Women's Golf

Live Stats

Round one gets underway at 8 a.m. ET at Osprey Point Golf Course.

By: Matthew Hutchison

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Dates: Monday, Feb. 7 - Tuesday, Feb. 8
Location: Osprey Point Golf Course: Raven & Falcon - Boca Raton, Fla.
Host: Florida Atlantic University
Course Par/Yardage: Par 72 - 6,204 yards
Format: 54-hole stroke play (36-18)
Tee Times: 8 a.m. ET on both days
Live Scoring: Golf Stat
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

LINE UP:
No. 1 - Annabell Fuller
No. 2 - Clara Manzalini
No. 3 - Marina Escobar
No. 4 - Maisie Filler
No. 5 - Jackie Lucena
Indv. - Jenny Kim

TEE OFF
The 5th ranked Florida women's golf team opens up the spring season at the FAU Paradise Invitational Feb. 7-8.

THE FIELD
Arkansas State, Colorado State, FAU (host), Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, FIU, James Madison, Loyola-Chicago, Mississippi State, Missouri, North Florida, Seton Hall, South Florida, UTSA and Vanderbilt

FLORIDA IN THE RANKINGS
The Gators enter the spring ranked 5th by Goflstat and the Women's Golf Coaches Association Poll (WGCA) and 6th according to Golfweek with only one SEC foe - South Carolina - ranked higher at No. 3 in all three rankings.

FALL RECAP
Florida concluded a successful fall with three consecutive third place finishes to begin the season and a runner-up finish in the fall finale, including back-to-back runner-up individuals in Jackie Lucena and Maisie Filler. The placement tied Lucena's collegiate best while marking Filler's career best. Filler posted all three rounds in the 60's - 69, 66 and 68. After setting her career low in round two, she turned in a 68 (-4) the next day en route to tying second all-time in program history for low individual tournament at 203 (-13). She was one stroke away from the program record (202) set by current pro Sam Wagner in 2016.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The outing marks UF's first appearance in the FAU Paradise Invitational in program history.

ROBERTS ADDED
Taylor Roberts was added to the roster after transferring in from Florida State at the start of the spring semester. A native of Parkland, Fla., she started every tournament as a freshman for the Seminoles and earned two top 10 finishes. She helped the program record its best finish at the NCAA Championship in ninth while her scoring average ranked 13th in program history.

PRESEASON RANKINGS AND RECOGNITION
The Gators were selected in two preseason polls - #19 by the GolfChannel.com and #21 by the WGCA. Additionally Annabell Fuller was ranked as the No. 23 preseason player by GolfChanel.com and was selected to the ANNIKA Award Watch List for the second straight season.

A SEASON AGO
The Gators qualified for their 21st consecutive and 26th overall NCAA Regional appearance and just missed the top-6 cut, finishing one stroke behind USC in 7th. A member of the SEC All-Freshman Team, Maisie Filler led the way with a T12 finish.

Outside of postseason play, Florida defended it's home course and claimed the sixth straight title at the Gators Invitational. Annabell Fuller turned in a career performance winning her first individual title behind her lowest round (66, -5) and tournament overall (202, -5). Marina Escobar (T12), Clara Manzalini (T12) and Jenny Kim (T15) all placed in the Top-25.

THE TURN:
The Orange and Blue stay in the Sunshine State for the Moon Golf Invitational (Feb. 20-22) in Melbourne and then host the 50th VyStar Gators Invitational from March 5-6.