Quick Turnaround for No. 12 Florida Women’s Golf as It Heads to Northrop Grumman Challenge

Sunday, February 7

Palos Verdes, CA

Florida Gators

Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge

Taylor Tomlinson at the 2016 Florida Challenge

Quick Turnaround for No. 12 Florida Women’s Golf as It Heads to Northrop Grumman Challenge

Friday, February 5, 2016 | Women's Golf

By: Brianne Wigley

Three days after securing victory at the Florida Challenge to open the spring, the Gator women's golf team travels to Palos Verdes, Calif., for the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge hosted by Ohio State, on Feb. 7-9.

Head coach Emily Glaser's squad will look to bring motivation from its outstanding performance at the Florida Challenge, where Taylor Tomlinson and Kelly Grassel earned a share of the individual title, and the Gators won the team championship with a season best 36-hole score of 571.

Florida has competed at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in each of the past 10 seasons, but hasn't been able to break into the top five since 2013. At last year's event, the Gators finished 10th. The 2016 tournament features another talented 16-team field, including 10 teams from Golfweek's Top 25 and the top two teams of USC and Duke.

Course Information: The tournament is being held at the par-71, 6,017-yard Palos Verdes Golf Club, in Palos Verdes, Calif.

Format: 54-hole stroke play, where teams will play three rounds, 18 holes each day.

Tee Times:
Sunday Rd. 1 – Tee times off of Holes No. 1 and No. 10 starting at 9 a.m. PT
Monday Rd. 2 – Tee times off of Holes No. 1 and No. 10 starting at 9 a.m. PT
Tuesday Rd. 3 – 8:30 a.m. PT Shotgun start

The Gators' Lineup:
Sophomore Taylor Tomlinson (Gainesville, Fla.): Owns the lowest scoring average on the team of 72.0, after winning a share of the Florida Challenge title and posting her third under par tournament total of the season.

Junior Kelly Grassel (Chesterton, Ind.): Locked down her first individual collegiate title at the Florida Challenge, thanks to consistent play during the 36-hole event and back-to-back under par scores of 70-71.

Junior Maria Torres (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico): After winning the Alamo Invitational to end the fall season, she posted a one-under par tournament score of 143 at the Florida Challenge to finish seventh.

Junior Karolina Vlckova (Unhošt,Czech Republic): Her 10th-place finish at the Florida Challenge should bring some momentum to California. She has participated in the Gators' lineup at the event the past two seasons, but has yet to play to her full potential finishing T44 last year.

Freshman Sam Wagner (Windermere, Fla.): After a record-setting performance at just her second collegiate event, the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate where she placed third, she will look to get back on track after tying for 18th at the Florida Challenge.

Individual:
Senior Ursa Orehek (Domzale, Slovenia): While the Gators were competing at the Florida Challenge, Orehek got the chance to participate at the LPGA Qualifier for the Coates Golf Championship. This will be her first time competing for the Orange and Blue since the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate in September.

Head Coach Emily Glaser Says: "This a wonderful event with arguably the toughest field we will see all year. The golf course is fantastic and a real test of our talent. The team is hungry for this challenge, and I'm excited to see how we stack up."

Tournament Field (Golfweek rankings as of Feb. 4, 2016):
Alabama (11)
Arizona (10)
Arizona State (13)
Baylor
Duke (2)
FLORIDA (12)
Michigan State (27)
North Carolina (50)
Ohio State (host) (41)
Oklahoma State (9)
Pepperdine
UCLA (6)
UNLV (19)
USC (1)
Wake Forest (42)
Washington (15)

Tournament Notes

Follow the Gators: Play will begin on Sunday, Feb. 7, with live scoring available on Golfstat.com. A complete recap with full results will be posted on FloridaGators.com following the day's play.

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