When Florida teed off this morning, they were tied for 15th at +13 with UCLA for the final advancing spot into tomorrow’s final 18-holes of stroke play and eight strokes from the top-8 match play cut on Monday. 

For the final four advancing spots, nine teams battled it out as the biggest shot difference heading into today’s third round was T11 Arkansas and Virginia at +11 with 19th-place Ohio State at +16. 

The Gators had a round three of 296 (+8) for a three-round score of 885 (+21) led by Klonowski’s even-par 72 to finish 4-over through 54-holes. She improved each round after an opening 75 (+3) then 73 (+1) in round two. The Naples native made seven birdies, 38 pars and nine bogeys through three rounds. Klonowski joins Kelly Grassel as the last Gator to reach the final round of stroke play since the match play era began in 2015.

Tomorrow’s final round will be live on Golf Channel with coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET as the NCAA Individual National Champion will be crowned after 72-holes.

Right at the turn, Florida logged five birdies across holes 6-10 with two from Klonowski behind one from Inès Archer, Paula Francisco and Elaine Widjaja. Klonowkski’s birdie on the par5 10th (521 yards) put the Gators into T13 and inside the cut. However, UF had a rough finish on the back nine with a 5-over mark across holes 11-18. 

Archer turned in her second 73 (+1) to finish with a 222 (+6) tournament score as Widjaja shot her best round of the week at 74 (+2) and Francisco posted a 77 (+5) today. The non-counting score was from Jessica Guiser at 78 (+6). 

Behind an all underclassmen lineup this season, Florida captured five team titles this regular season and finished runner-up at the SEC Championship and T3 at the NCAA Charlottesville Regional, sending the Gators to the NCAA National Championships for the first time since 2019. Individually, freshman Jessica Guiser won the Gators Invitational becoming the second UF freshman to earn medalist honors at the 53rd Gators Invitational. Head Coach Emily Glaser was also named a NCAA D1 WGCA National Coach of the Year candidate.

The Gators qualified for the National Championships for the first time since 2019 behind sophomore Paula Francisco’s runner-up finish with a 54-hole score of 4-under 209, both career-bests, and just one shot behind medalist honors. Francisco led through the first two rounds and opened her second start in regionals with a career-low 4-under 67, her second of the postseason after the same mark in round one of the SEC Championship. She was tied for a tournament-best this week with 12 birdies and one eagle. The finish is the best by a Gator at an NCAA Regional since 2017 when Kelly Grassel won medalist honors in Columbus. 

Florida had a final team round of 293 (+9) for a three-round score of 864 (+12) to finish tied for 3rd with host Virginia and earn a trip to the final tournament of the season behind an all underclassmen lineup of three sophomores and two freshmen while overcoming some heart breakers at regionals over the last four years, including missing by a shot in back-to-back seasons (2021 & 2022) and leading at the turn last year.

At the SEC Championship, led by a lineup of all underclassmen (three sophomores & two freshmen). The Gators reached the match play finals for the second time in program history since the format was added in 2018 after defeating the No. 2 seed LSU Tigers 5-0 and the No. 6 seed and No. 2 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks 3-2. UF was edged in the finals 3.5-1.5 to the No. 1 seed and veteran (two seniors & graduate student) South Carolina Gamecocks. 

All five in the lineup had key moments in the conference tournament as Addison Klonowski highlighted her first appearance with two match-clinching point victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals while firing a final stroke play round of 3-under 67 to help UF advance to match play. Paula Francisco placed T11 in stroke play and went 2-0-1 in match play with two big putts on the 18th, one to clinch a point in the semifinals and another to keep Florida’s SEC title hopes alive in the finals.  

In the fall portion of the season, Florida closed out the first leg of the season with back-to-back victories, including defending its team title at The Ally. The Gators shot a final round of 6-under to end 15-under for a six shot victory over host Mississippi State. 

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