Cougar Classic tees off season for No. 7 Gators

Monday, September 7

Charleston, S.C. / Yeamans Hall Club

8:30 a.m. (36 holes)

Florida Gators

Cougar Classic

Cougar Classic tees off season for No. 7 Gators

Friday, September 4, 2026 | Women's Golf

Live Scoring

The two-day event begins on Monday at 8:30 a.m. with 36-holes at Yeamans Hall Club.

By: Matthew Hutchison

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Dates: Monday, Sept. 7 - Tuesday, Sept. 8
Location: Yeamans Hall - Charleston, S.C.
Host: College of Charleston
Course Par/Yardage: 71 / 6,269 yards
Format: 36 holes on Monday and 18 on Tuesday
Tee Times: 8:30 a.m. on Monday
Live Scoring: Clippd
Social Media:Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

TEE OFF
The No.7 Florida women's golf team opens up the 2026-27 season at the Cougar Classic at Yeamans Hall from Sept. 7-8. Monday's 36-hole day begins with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.

LINEUP
No. 1 - Addison Klonowski
No. 2 - Katelyn Huber
No. 3 - Paula Francisco
No. 4 - Elaine Widjaja
No. 5 - Jessica Guiser

THE FIELD (Golfweek Top-30 Rankings)
No. 4 Arkansas, Baylor, Boston College, Charlotte, Charleston, Clemson, No. 7 Florida, Furman, Georgia, No. 16 LSU, Miami, NC State, No. 24 Ole Miss, Rutgers, No. 23 Tennessee, No. 29 UCF, Wisconsin and No. 9 Vanderdbilt.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY
UF has enjoyed it's appearances at the Cougar Classic. The Gators have won the event three times - 2013, 2014 and 2018 - and have won four individual titles highlighted by Sierra Brooks in 2018 who shot the program individual record with a 62. The las six outings at the tournament Florida has finished 3rd three times (2025, 2021, 2019), 1st (2018) and 4th (2024, 2015).

THE CHAMP IS BACK
Paula Francisco will headline the Gators this season. An ANNIKA Award Finalist last year, she enters her senior year following a breakout junior campaign to a resume of the SEC Individual Champion, WGCA & Golfweek All-American, All-SEC First Team and Arnold Palmer Cup selection. The Madrid native played in the 81st U.S. Open, shooting 1-under 70 in her opening round and even reached 3-under to be tied for the lead.

She won two collegiate tournaments last season with her first career in a record outing at the Gators Invitational, setting the UF 54-hole score record of 200 (-10). The senior also owns the mark for second-lowest 54-hole at 202, which she shot twice last year at the SEC Championship and Sea Best Invitational.

Francisco's team-low season stroke average of 71.0 and 54-hole average of 211.5 are both second-lowest all-time in program history. Additionally, she is tied third all-time for low round with a 65 at last season's Gators Invitational.

She became the eighth Gator to win the conference title and first since Maria Torres in 2016. It was the 10th time a UF golfer has been crowned the conference champion, which leads the SEC. The win was the second of Francisco's collegiate career and season. The 54-hole tournament score of 202 (-8), was the third lowest all-time by score in SEC Championship history.

GNV's OWN
Gainesville native, Katelyn Huber made her impact right away in her freshman year last season.

She earned All-SEC Freshman Team honors and SEC Freshman of the Week recognition. Huber competed in all 12 tournaments, appearing in the lineup for all but one event, and opened her collegiate career with a bogey-free 67 (-4) in her first round. Her 72.44 stroke average ranks the second-lowest by a freshman in program history.

Her play elevated during the postseason, tying for 25th in stroke play at the SEC Championship before winning both of her match-play contests, including a 5-and-3 victory in the semifinals. She then paced the Gators at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional with a solo sixth-place finish at 4-under par, helping Florida advance to the NCAA Championships

Huber has continued her breakout freshman season into the summer by capturing the 2026 Florida Women's Amateur title, becoming the third consecutive Gator to win the championship. She also advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball Championship. The Gainesville native played in her first professional event at the Epson Tour's Four Winds Invitational had back-to-back rounds of 3-under 69 to start.

EXPERIENCED GROUP
This season's Gator team features an experienced roster after the last two seasons of being a majority underclassmen led team that has won back-to-back seasons of five team tournaments titles, which was the only the third time in program history.

At the 2025 NCAA National Championships, Florida was the only team to travel a complete freshman-sophomore roster.

Of the nine on the 2026-27 roster, seven have competed in the postseason (SECs, Regionals & NCAAS) while the two lone that haven't - Sophia Dyer & Perla Sol Sigurbrandsdottir - are both redshirt-freshmen.

A SEASON AGO
Last year (2025-26), Florida continued its momentum from last year and produced one of the best seasons in program history by winning five tournament titles, three individual victories highlighted by Paula Francisco's SEC Indiviudal Championship, finishing as the top team in stroke play at the SEC Tournament, and entering the NCAA National Championships as the top seed out of the SEC and No. 3 overall.

The five team titles marked consecutive seasons for just the third time in program history (2015-16 & 2016-17, 1984-85 & 1985-86) as both have happened under head coach Emily Glaser, who was the named the WGCA South Region and SEC Coach of the Year.

Additionally, the team rewrote the record book in multiple categories, including new program records in low team round (271) team tournament total (820), team round average (283.38). Also last year placed the next three lows (273, 274 & 275) in team round and the second lowest team tournament (831), and the average of 851.11 tournament average was the second fewest.

Florida's golfers collected a multitude of accolades throughout the season, with the Gators earning recognition at the conference, national and individual levels for their standout performances led by Paula Francisco's junior breakout season. She was named an WGCA & Golfweek All-American, ANNIKA Award Finalist, WGCA Player of the Year Watch List, All-SEC First Team and Arnold Palmer Cup selection.

Megan Propeck was crowned the SEC Newcomer of the Year, All-SEC First Team, WGCA & Golfweek All-American, Arnold Palmer Cup selection and participated in the Augusta National Women's Amateur. The third All-American selection by both WGCA and Golfweek was Siuue Wu, who also earned All-SEC Team and Katelyn Huber a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team.

Florida finished 11th at the National Championship, it's best peformance since 2017 (T5). Sophomore Siuue Wu led the group finishing 2-under T14 to earn All-Tournmanet Team and All-America honors. She finished with a 72-hole score of 286 (-2), tied for the program's lowest by score and second-lowest by par at the National Championship. Her T14 performance is the best since Sandra Gal in a tie for 4th in 2006. The last UF golfer to shoot 286 was Elcin Ulu in 2014 & the 2-under by Karen Davies in 1987. The all-time mark by par is 3-under from Cheryl Morley and Davies in 1988.

In round two, Wu tied the NCAA record for single round in relation to par with a 64 (-8) and reset the program's second lowest single round by score and par, mark she was tied for with a 65 this season.

Florida clinched a spot into the NCAA Championships after finishing third and 3-under at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional behind the program's second-lowest tournament total by score (861) and par (-3) at regional play all-time. The lowest was a 7-under performance in 2016. Freshman and Gainesville native Katelyn Huber led the lineup with a 6th place finish and 4-under performance. She started her final 18-holes with back-to-back birdies and three in her first four holes. Huber shot a final round of 71 (-1) for her third under par round this postseason.

Florida's postseason began at the SEC Championship, which was highlighted by Paula Francisco winning the individual conference title. She became the eighth Gator to win the SEC Championship and first since Maria Torres in 2016. This is the 10th time a UF golfer has been crowned the conference champion, which leads the SEC. The win was the second of Francisco's collegiate career and season.

Francisco shot all three rounds under par this weekend for a 54-hole tournament score of 202 (-8), the third lowest all-time by score in SEC Championship history. It is the lowest by par from a Gator since Maria Torres won the conference title in 2016 and finished 9-under.

After winning stroke play, the Gators reached the SEC Championship Semifinals as a team, which featured only one returner from last season's runner-up finish. In the last two conference championships, UF has finished runner-up and T3. In final round of stroke play, the Gators shot their lowest round and the low round of the day with a 276 (-4) to produce a 54-hole score of 831 (-9), six shots ahead of second-place Oklahoma and Texas (-3). Florida's 831 score is the program's lowest three-round total by score in program history at the SEC Championship, beating the previous record (842) by 11 shots in 2017, the last time UF won the conference title.

This year's conference tournament lineup only featured one returner from last year (Francisco) and three underclassmen.

Also, the total is second-lowest by score (824-South Carolina 2025) from an SEC team at the conference tournament. The 9-under is the third-lowest in UF history at SECs and only the fourth time under par in 45 years of the SEC Championship.

At the 54th Gators Invitational, Florida rewrote the record book en route to sweeping the home tournament. The Gators went wire-to-wire and won by 18 strokes while shooting a program-record 820 (-20) 54-hole tournament score and beating the previous record by 15 shots. In the opening round, the Gators reset the tournament low round record by score with a 271 (-9), three shots better than the previous record.

After tying the 54-hole tournament record (202) in the spring opener, Francisco broke the 10-year program record with a final score of 200 (-10) to capture her first collegiate win. In round two, she tied for the second-lowest round in program history with a 65 (-5). The junior closed with a final round of 67 (-3) to win by five shots. The weekend performance boosted new career-bests in round, tournament score and finish as she owned two runner-up finishes.

Florida's victory was the 28th all-time in the 54th playing of the Gators Invitational, which started in 1973 as Francisco is the 12th UF golfer to claim medalist honors at the home tournament. The Gator sweep is the 11th occurrence all-time and in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2007-08 and just the fourth time overall. Additionally, the Gators have won 10 of the last 11 Gators Invitationals dating back to 2016.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Gators return to action shorlty at the Mason Rudloph Championship at Vanderbilt Legends Club from Sept. 18-20.