TAMPA, Fla (March 8, 2025) – The South Florida women’s golf team has shown remarkable improvement this spring, bouncing back from a challenging fall season marked by two hurricanes and uncertainty. They have now secured two top-10 finishes in three spring tournaments, most recently at the Gator Invitational.
Freshman Cherry Marley continues to impress, adding another top-10 finish to her stellar debut season. Marley placed eighth at the Gator Invitational posting an even-par across the three rounds. Her 67 in round two is her fourth round under 70- a team best. This eighth-place finish is her second-best result of the year.
Emma Kim has taken full advantage of being a mainstay in Coach Newell’s lineup this spring as she posted both her season-best finish and score. She carded a 221 to finish 31st, a significant 20-spot improvement from her performance at the Westbrook Invitational. Kim continues to provide the Bulls with consistent play from the middle of the lineup.
Looking ahead, The Bulls will aim to carry their momentum into the Valspar Augusta Invitational on March 15-16 in Augusta.
The final standings for the Gator Invitational can be found here. Be sure to stay connected to the team by following them on their Instagram.
ABOUT USF WOMEN’S GOLF
Tampa native AJ Newell, a former LPGA Tour Player and NCAA All-American, was named head coach of USF women’s golf by Vice President for Athletics Michael Kelly on June 3, 2024.
Newell will look over leadership of the Bulls’ program following a successful three-year stint as assistant coach at the University of Michigan, where she helped lead the Wolverines to three-straight NCAA Regional appearances, a 2022 Big Ten title, and the 2022 NCAA Championship Finals.
In the record-setting 2023-24 campaign, the Bulls won three times and finished in the top four in nine of 10 events. The three wins are the most in a season since four 2011-12. USF finished third in the American Athletic Conference Championship, which equals the best finish in the tournament in program history. In 2022-23 and 2023-24, the Bulls played in back-to-back NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2001-02. Senior standout Melanie Green, the AAC Conference Player of the Year in 2023-24, an all-conference performer in each of her four seasons, was named to the WGCA 2023-24 Division I All-American second team. Green qualified for the 2022 NCAA Regional as an individual and was named a 2023 All-American Honorable Mention. Green and the Bulls reached the NCAA Regional as a team in 2023, marking the program’s first postseason appearance in 11 years. Follow @USFWGolf on Twitter for the latest information concerning the program.
– #GoBulls –
