UF WGOLF: Gators Narrowly Miss NCAA Championship Berth; Escobar Qualifies Individually

Marina Escobar finished T3 and will compete as an individual at the NCAA Championship.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Florida women’s golf team narrowly missed the cut for the NCAA Championship, as Marina Escobar qualified as an individual for the finals on Wednesday.

Paired with TCU and Arizona, all three traded ownership for the final spot to advance to Grayhawk late into the round. Florida battled back on the turn and eliminated a five-stroke deficit.

On the back, the Gators and Horn Frogs went toe-to-toe for the final fourth spot. Escobar recorded an eagle on 13 that put UF ahead by three strokes, but TCU responded to go up one with 11 holes remaining.

Jackie Lucena closed out her round with a birdie on 18 to tie it at UNM Championship Course. She improved each round in her NCAA Regional debut – 79 (+7), 74 (+2) and 72 (E).

However, TCU leaped back ahead and held on to take the final qualifying spot by one stroke.

Escobar will compete in four rounds of stroke play at the NCAA Championship as an individual from May 20-23. She becomes the second individual to clinch a spot in the finals as Karolina Vickaova was the first in 2015.

Team Season Notes:

* The Gators advanced to the SEC Championship Match Play Finals for the first-time in program history
* Florida knocked off reigning conference champion and No. 1 seed Auburn 3-2 in the quarterfinals and defending national champions Ole Miss 3-2 in the semifinals
* UF was 0-2 all time in the match play portion and failed to advance past stroke play in 2021
* Florida set the program under-par record at -29 in the spring opener at the FAU Paradise Invitational en route to its one of two spring tournament victories
* The previous record was 26-under at the 2019 Gators Invitational
* At the 50th VyStar Gators Invitational, the Gators won the team title for the seventh straight year and 25th time in program history
* The victory marked the 27th title under head coach Emily Glaser, which is second all-time in program history behind Mimi Ryan at 61
* The second win of the season was the sixth time under Glaser the Gators have won multiple titles in a season
* UF posted seven top-5 finishes this season, including five to start the season
* Four different Gators – Maisie Filler, Annabell Fuller, Jenny Kim and Jackie Lucena- posted runner-up finishes
* Lucena, Filler, and Kim were part of three consecutive finishes as the performances tied or set their career-best finish
* In the fall finale, Maisie Filler tied second all-time time in program history for low 54-holes at 203 (-13)
* The last Gator to set the mark was Camila Hedberg in 2012 at the Cougar Classic
* Filler was one stroke away from the program record (202) set by current Epson Tour Pro Sam Wagner in 2016

Quotable
Head Coach Emily Glaser

On the season ending…
“A very disappointing week and a tough ending to what was a solid year. I appreciate how we battled today, its heartbreaking to not advance when it’s so close. But overall we just lacked the toughness needed to grind it out at regionals. It’s certainly a difficult way to learn but that is what we have to do.”

On Marina Escobar this season and qualifying…
“It’s been fun to watch Marina blossom this year and turn into a leader for us on the course. Everyone can see her immense talent and she’s starting to believe in herself more. The sky is really the limit for Marina.”

Scores
Florida Individual
Place

Player

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Score

Marina Escobar<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D14531&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=WwiTFGGXT-FIhxIyrR4Cm-STZifpHY5QMrtVppg__WZ3WPyQEqgX33PBnzDKIE5T&s=g_pd-GrN3YqCMAH_O6N58i7gtasDYq9ivnvAtJZZkcc&e= >

213 (-3)

T33

Clara Manzalini<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D14536&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=WwiTFGGXT-FIhxIyrR4Cm-STZifpHY5QMrtVppg__WZ3WPyQEqgX33PBnzDKIE5T&s=Su4apoyx6lhJiYhqbfvFQtX85ulWGcVjDMvWYUOCnuQ&e= >

223 (+7)

T37