Women's golf wins East Regional

ATHENS, Ga. — For the first time in program history, the University of Florida women’s golf team will head to the NCAA Championships as a champion of an NCAA regional.

The fourth-ranked Gators continued a remarkable season and held off a late charge from No. 1 Duke to claim the NCAA East Regional by one shot on Saturday at the University of Georgia Golf Course.

“This team continues to show a lot of heart,” said UF head coach Jill Briles-Hinton, the 2008 Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year. “I am so proud of what they have done to pull this off. Our team shows that it never quits and just keeps fighting.”

Florida, which took a three-shot lead into the day, shot a final-round 10-over 298 to edge the three-time defending NCAA champion Blue Devils, who recorded an 8-over 296. The second-seeded Gators finished at 19-over 883, while Duke closed at 20-over 884. Georgia took third-place honors at 25-over 889.

The top eight teams qualified for the NCAA Championships to be played May 20-23 in Albuquerque, N.M. Joining Florida, Duke and Georgia will be Auburn (894), Virginia (898), South Carolina (899), Wake Forest (899) and Furman (900). Furman edged NCAA host New Mexico by one stroke to earn the final NCAA Championship bid.

The Gators made the turn with a six-stroke lead before the Blue Devils mounted a furious rally. Freshman Hannah Yun and redshirt junior Ornella Jouven sealed the regional victory with birdies on the par-5 18th.

“The birdies on 18 were significant and proved to be the difference,” Briles-Hinton said. “We were in a tough situation but really never felt the pressure. We were not nervous at all down the stretch. We added up the scores at the end and came out on top.”

For Florida, the win was its third straight in tournament play and its fifth of the season. The five victories represent the most wins in a single season since the 1985-86 team claimed 10 first-place finishes en route to the Gators’ last NCAA title.

Twenty-two years later, Florida has solidified its chances as a national title contender once again with a lineup that features two true freshmen, a senior and a redshirt junior. The Gators earned the best regional finish in program history, eclipsing the previous best mark of third place in 1996.

“As a coach, it is very rewarding to watch the players have success,” Briles-Hinton said. “We know we have as good of a shot as anyone to win the (NCAA) title."