Florida, Michigan share team crown in VyStar Gators Invitational

    Florida wasn’t playing its best golf when it mattered most last spring.

   The Gators failed to make the match-play bracket in the Southeastern Conference Championship at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Ala. Seeded seventh in the NCAA’s Stanford Regional at the Stanford Golf Course, Florida was unable to advance to the NCAA Championship. They aim a little higher than that at Florida.

   The signs are there that you can expect things to be different this spring. Playing host to the 50^th VyStar Gators Invitational, which wrapped up Sunday at the Mark Bostic Golf Course in Gainesville, Fla., Florida earned a share of the team crown with Michigan of the Big Ten, each finishing with an 11-over-par 811 total.

   Sure, the Gators were playing on their home course, but they beat the two teams that played in the NCAA Championship’s Final Match at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. last spring, reigning NCAA champion Mississippi and Big 12 champion Oklahoma State, as well as Big Ten champion Michigan State.

   Florida, No. 7 in the latest Golfstat rankings, was tied for second place with No. 25 Ole Miss, seven shots behind No. 2 Oklahoma State following Saturday’s double round.

   Behind a 2-under 68 over the 6,002-yard, par-70 Mark Bostick layout by Marina Escobar, a junior from Spain, and a 1-under 69 from Annabell Fuller, a junior from England and No. 41 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), Florida rallied in Sunday’s final round with a 1-over 281 to get it to 11-over for the weekend and get a share of the team crown with Michigan.

   It was Florida’s seventh straight victory in the VyStar Gators Invitational and its second victory of the spring portion of the wraparound 2021-2022 season.

   The Gators had posted a pair of 5-over 285s in Saturday’s double round.

   No. 10 Michigan, behind a sizzling final round of 4-under 66 by individual champion Ashley Lau, a senior from Malaysia, came on strong in Sunday’s final round with a 4-under 276 to earn its share of the team crown. The Wolverines had added a 288 in Saturday afternoon’s second round after opening with a 7-over 287.

   It was the second team crown of the wraparound 2021-’22 season for the Wolverines, who also have a pair of runnerup finishes in six events.

   After opening with an 8-over 288, Oklahoma State had the best team round of the weekend with its 6-under 274 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to take the lead heading into Sunday’s final round. The Cowgirls closed with a 291 that left them three shots behind the co-champions in third place with a 14-over 854 total.

   No. 33 Mississippi State was another five shots behind Oklahoma State in fourth place with a 19-over 859 total. The Bulldogs opened with a pair of 6-over 286s in Saturday’s double round before closing with a 287.

   Lost a little in cross-state rival Ole Miss’ run to the national championship last spring was the fact that Mississippi State stunned the Rebels in the opening round of match play in the SEC Championship at Greystone, reaching the final before falling to Auburn.

   Seeded 12^th in the Baton Rouge Regional, Mississippi State never got a chance to compete when rain washed out the tournament and the top six seeds were awarded tickets to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk.

   It was another three shots back to perennially underrated Michigan State, ranked 33^rd, in fifth place. After struggling a little in the opening round with a 295, the Spartans bounced back with a 284 in Saturday afternoon’s second before closing with a 3-over 283.

   After claiming the Big Ten crown last spring, Michigan State advanced to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk as an eight seed out of the Louisville Regional.

   Reigning national champion Ole Miss – bet that still has a nice ring to it down in Oxford – was tied for second place with Florida after recording a pair of 5-over 285s in Saturday’s double round before struggling a little in the final round with a 294 for a 24-over 864 total that left the Rebels in sixth place in the 15-team field, two shots behind Michigan State.

   Escobar and Fuller led the way for Florida as each ended up in a group of eight players tied for furth place at 2-over 212, nine shots behind Michigan’s Lau. After opening with a 73, Escobar registered 1-over 71 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before her closing 68. Fuller opened with a 1-over 71 and added a 72 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before her closing 69.

   Fuller played for the Great Britain & Ireland team that fell, 12.5-7.5, to the United States in the Curtis Cup Match at Conwy Golf Club in Caernarvonshire, Wales last summer, going 3-2 while teeing it up in every session. Thinking there’s a pretty good chance she will again be part of captain Elaine Ratcliffe’s GB&I team when the 42^nd Curtis Cup Match tees off at Merion Golf Club’s historic East Course in 94 days.

   Backing up the top two for Florida was Maisie Filler, a sophomore from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. who finished in a tie for 12^th place at 3-over 213. Filler opened with a solid 1-under 69 before adding a pair of 2-over 72s in the final two rounds.

   Clara Manzalini, a senior from Italy, matched par in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a 79 after opening with a 74 and closed with a 72 as she finished in the group tied for 17^th place at 6-over 216.

   Rounding out the Florida lineup was Jackie Lucena, a junior from Chico, Calif. who carded back-to-back 72s in Saturday’s double round before finishing up with a 74 to join the group tied for 26^th place with an 8-over 218.

   Lau was engaged in a two-women battle with Oklahoma State’s Han-Hsuan Yu for the individual title throughout the weekend. Yu built a two-shot lead over Lau after adding a sparkling 4-under 66 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to her opening-round 69.

   Lau matched par in Saturday’s second round with a 70 after opening with a 67, but she made five birdies against a lone bogey for a final-round 66 that gave her a one-shot edge on Yu with a 7-under 203 total, a 54-hole program record at Michigan. Yu had five birdies in the final round, but also made four bogeys for a 1-under 69 that left her a shot shy of Lau with a 6-under 204 total.

   Lau and Yu were the only two players to finish under par for the weekend.

   Backing up Lau for the Wolverines was Hailey Borja, a junior from Lake Forest, Calif. who finished among the group tied for 14^th place with a 4-over 214 total. After opening with a 74, Borja, who made a run to the round of 16 in last summer’s U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y., added a 1-over 71 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before contributing a 1-under 69 to Michigan’s strong finish.

   Monet Chun, a sophomore from Canada, and Anika Dy, a junior from Traverse City, Mich., both landed among the group tied for 33^rd place at 9-over 219 for the Wolverines.

   Chun added a 1-over 71 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to her opening-round 73 before closing with a 75. After opening with a 73, Dy struggled to a 77 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before contributing a critical 1-under 69 to Michigan’s final-round surge.

   Rounding out the Michigan lineup was Ashley Kim, a graduate student from Redondo Beach, Calif. who finished in a tie for 50^th place with a 224 total. Kim registered back-to-back 76s in Saturday’s double round, but bounced back with a counting 2-over 72 that helped the Wolverines get a piece of the team crown.

   Denver’s Anna Zanusso, a junior from Italy, finished alone in third place, six shots behind Oklahoma State’s Yu with an even-par 210 total. Zanusso sandwiched a solid 2-under 68 in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 1-over 71s.

   Joining her Florida teammates Escobar and Fuller in the large group tied for fourth place at 2-over 212 was Jenny Kim, a senior from Orlando, Fla. who was competing as an individual. Kim made a strong play for a spot in the Gators’ starting lineup as she opened with a solid 1-under 69 and added a 1-over 71 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 72.

   Mississippi State had a pair of players in the large group tied for fourth place at 212, Julia Lopez Ramirez, a freshman from Spain, and Hannah Levi, a junior from D’Iberville, Miss. Lopez Ramirez added a 1-over 71 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to her opening-round 72 before closing with a 1-under 69. Levi sandwiched an even-par 70 in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 1-over 71s.

   Mississippi’s Andrea Lignell, a junior from Sweden and No. 94 in the Women’s WAGR, was also in the group at 2-over. Lignell, who played a huge role in Ole Miss’ national championship run, going 3-0 in match play at Grayhawk, kept it under par for Saturday’s double round, adding an even-par 70 to her opening round of 1-under 69 before closing with a 73.

    Michigan State’s Valery Plata, a senior from Colombia, led the way for the Spartans as she joined the group tied for fourth place at 212. Plata, who reached the semifinals of the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md., sandwiched a 1-under 69 in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 71s.

   Rounding out the logjam tied at 2-over was Campbell’s Emily Hawkins, a senior from Lexington, Ky. who opened with a 2-under 68 and closed with a 1-under 69, but struggled in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a 75.