TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

Dates: Monday, Sept. 8 – Tuesday, Sept. 9
Location: Yeamans Hall – Charleston, S.C.
Host: College of Charleston
Course Par/Yardage: 71 / 6,269 yards
Format: 36 holes on Monday and 18 on Tuesday 
Tee Times: 8:30 a.m. on Monday and 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday 
Live Scoring: Clippd
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

TEE OFF

The No. 10 Florida women’s golf team opens up the 2025-26 season at the Cougar Classic at Yeamans Hall from Sept. 8-9.

LINEUP

No. 1 – Paula Francisco

No. 2 – Megan Propeck

No. 3 – Katelyn Huber

No. 4 – Addison Klonowski

No. 5 – Inès Archer

THE FIELD (Golf Channel Top-30 Rankings)

No. 8 LSU, No. 10 Florida, No. 15 Auburn, No. 17 Tennessee, No. 20 Ole Miss, No. 27 UCF, Charleston, Boston College, Clemson, Furman, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Maryland, Miami, N.C. State, Penn State, Virginia Tech and Yale. 

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

UF has enjoyed it’s appearances at the Cougar Classic. The Gators have won the event three times – 2013, 2014 and 2018 – and have won four individual titles highlighted by Sierra Brooks in 2018 who shot the program individual record with a 62. The last five outings at the tournament Florida has finished 3rd twice (2021, 2019), 1st (2018) and 4th (2024, 2015).

THE SILENT ASSASSIN

Playing in first collegiate season, Addison Klonowski was key factor in the Gators’ success last season.

Klonowski had the top finish (T24, -2) by a Gator freshman at the National Championship in 20 years. The redshirt-freshman joined the Gators in the spring of last season and redshirted before becoming a mainstay in the lineup in her first season of collegiate golf en route to earning SEC All-Freshman Team honors. Klonowski also secured both match-clinching points in the SEC Championship Quarterfinals (3&2 vs. LSU) and Semifinals (1Up vs. Arkansas). She was in the lineup for all 12 tournaments, including the No. 1 spot on three occasions and led the lineup in top-25 finishes (10) and under par rounds (13).

Off the course, she earned Academic All-American honors. 

NEW FACES IN THE ORANGE & BLUE

The Gators welcomed a pair of new golfers this season in All-American Graduate transfer Megan Propeck (Leawood, Kan.) from Virginia and Gainesville native Katelyn Huber (P.K. Yonge HS), who both are in the lineup this week. 

NO MORE BABY GATORS    

After rolling out a lineup of all underclassmen, the Gators are an experience team as the group finished won five tournaments, qualified for the NCAA National Championship for the first time in 2019 and finished runner-up at the SEC Championship. All five from the National Championship lineup return, headlined by Paula Francisco, who was tabbed a preseason All-American by Golf Channel. 

The young Gators also collected some preseason recognition by being ranked No. 10 via Golf Channel and No. 12 via Golfweek and WGCA Coach’s Poll. 

A SEASON AGO

Last season a young Gators squad laid the ground work behind five tournament victories, a runner-up finish at the SEC Championship, T3 at NCAA Regionals and advancing 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 while head coach Emily Glaser was tabbed to the WGCA National Coach of the Year Watch List.

Closing out the successful season on a strong note and momentum into next season, redshirt-freshman Addison Klonowski finished T24 with a final round of 2-under for the best finish by a UF freshman golfer at the NCAA National Championships since Tiffany Chuddy (T16) in 2005.

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 at the Charlottesville Regional, as she was 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. 

Florida defended home turf and swept the 53rd Gators Invitational, winning the event for the 27th time in program history in the tournament’s 53rd occurrence, dating back to 1973. The Gators won the tournament for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons. Six UF golfers finished in top-23 led by Guiser’s first collegiate victory at 4-under 206. The last time Florida swept both the team and individual titles at the home tournament was in 2021. The win by Guiser marks the second Florida freshman to win the Gators Invitational in program history joining Riko Higashio (1996), becoming the 11th UF golfer to earn medalist honors at the home tournament and just fourth underclassmen: Annabell Fuller (2021) and Sandral Gal (2006).

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.

THE TURN

Florida has a quick turnaround (6 days) and travels to the Inverness Intercollegiate Sept. 15-16 and defends their 2023 team title at biannual event.