Florida defeated Ole Miss 3-2 to advance to the semifinals of the SEC Championship for the first time in program history.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Down two holes, Maisie Filler rallied with back-to-back wins on 16 and 17 to secure the match clinching point as the Florida women’s golf team defeated No. 1 Auburn 3-2 to advance to the SEC Championship final.
Filler was down by two when making the turn as the Tigers won two straight points after Florida took the first two to deadlock the semifinal matchup 2-2. A victory on 14 from Filler brought it to a tie and a huge put on 16 put her 1-up. The native of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., sent the Gators to the finals with birdie on 17.
Florida entered the match play portion – format was added in 2018 – looking for its first victory after dropping quarterfinal appearances by a playoff hole in 2019 to Ole Miss and 3-2 decision to Arkansas the year prior.
Marina Escobar gained the first point for UF as she was 5-up when making the turn and dropped her first hole on 11. Her par on 16 put Florida ahead 1-0 behind a 3&2 win as Clara Manzalini followed shortly after knocking off her opponent 4&3 for a 2-0 advantage. After losing the first hole, the senior controlled the rest of the match only falling one more time to win her second match play outing of the tournament.
The No. 5 Gators will take on No. 2 LSU, who defeated No. 6 Alabama 3-1-1, in the SEC Championship finals tomorrow at 9 a.m. ET. Florida is looking for its 10th SEC Championship and first since 2017 as full match coverage will be streamed live on SEC Network.
Scores
Player
Score
3&2 – win
2 Up – loss
4&3 – win
2&1 – win
4&3 – loss
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