University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Florida Gators Invitational
Women’s Golf Central: Florida Gators Invitational
March 06, 2020 | Women's Golf
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After having a week off, the Lady Vols golf team travels to Gainesville, Fla., this weekend to compete in the Florida Gators Invitational.
Out of the 12 teams competing, Tennessee and Florida are the lone SEC schools in the field as they play 36 holes during the first day and 18 the next.
This marks the second year in a row that UT has played in this tournament. Last season, senior Micheala Williams took home first after carding a 206 (-4) and the Big Orange placed fourth out of 13 teams with a total score of 846 (+6).
Last Time Out
The team finished in the top five at the Westbrook Invitational on Feb. 23-24. Altogether, the Lady Vols shot a season-best of 851 (-13) after shooting a 279 (-9) in the third round.
Sophomore Hadley Walts made some noise as she recorded a career-best round of 66 (-5) in the final round. She carded her best 54-hole performance of 207 (-9), tying her for sixth overall and marking her first top-10 finish in her career. Overall, she tallied seven birdies in the final round alone.
Lady Vols' Lineup
Micheala Williams
Williams tied for 56th at the Westbrook Invitational after recording a 221 and shot under-par on the last round, marking the eighth time she has done so this season.
Throughout the seven tournaments this season, the senior has averaged 73.43 a round and has finished in the top-25 twice.
Hadley Walts
The sophomore recorded her first top-10 finish at the Westbrook Invitational by tying for sixth overall after shooting nine-under par. She shot a 66 in the final round, which is third in school history for a third round score and her best performance in her career.
With playing in six tournaments so far this season, Walts has averaged 73.24 strokes a round and has carded par or better six times.
Malia Stovall
Stovall competed as an individual at the Westbrook Invitational and tied for 15th after carding a 211. During the second round, she carded her career low of 68 strokes and shot par or better in each round at the tournament.
Altogether, Stovall has competed in five tournaments this season and is averaging 74 strokes a round. She has placed in the top-25 or better twice and has shot for par or better four times.
Nicole Whiston
At the last outing, Whiston placed 24th after recording 214 strokes, marking the sixth time this season that she has placed in the top-25.
The freshman has competed in all seven tournaments this season and is averaging 71.86 strokes per round. She has also achieved par or better 13 times already this season, carding a low of 68 at the Illini Invitational.
Waverly Whiston
At the Westbrook Invitational, Whiston tied for 26th and recorded 215 total strokes. The junior shot par or better in all three rounds in her first spring tournament of the season.
In the five tournaments she has competed in, Whiston has averaged 73.40 strokes a round and has placed in the top-25 one time.
Mikayla Bardwell (Individual)
In her second spring tournament, Bardwell tallied a 221 and tied for 56th at the Westbrook Invitational. During the third round, she carded a 71 to mark the seventh time she has shot for par or better this season.
The sophomore has competed in seven tournaments this season and is averaging 73.24 strokes a round. So far, she has placed in the top-25 four times this year.
Participating Teams (12) – Rankings via Golfstat (March 3)
Campbell (62), Daytona State, FAU (110), FIU (105), Florida (9), Kansas (91), Michigan (44), Virginia Tech (26), Tennessee (51), Penn State (81), UCF (43) and USF.
Course Information
Mark Bostick Golf Course – Par 70 – 6,002 yards
The Mark Bostick Golf Course has been around since 1962 and is located just outside of Florida's campus. The course was designed by Donald Ross during the 1920s, but was renovated in 2001.
Live Scoring
The tournament will have live scoring via Golfstat.com.
Tee Times
Saturday, March 7 – First Round, 8:15 a.m. ET shotgun start
Saturday, March 7 – Second Round, 1 p.m. ET shotgun start
Sunday, March 8 – Third Round, 9 a.m. ET shotgun start
Players Mentioned
