Florida wins FAU Paradise Invitational in record-setting fashion

February 15, 2022 | by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com

Courtesy of Florida Athletic Communications

Sixth-ranked Gators take team title at 29-under par; Mississippi State's Julia Lopez Ramirez medals

A little less than a month into the spring golf season and records continue to fall at a staggering pace.

The sixth-ranked Florida Gators, who had a trio of third-place finishes along with a runner-up showing in the fall, broke through with their first win of the season in record-setting fashion, taking the FAU Paradise Invitational with a school-record score of 29-under 835.

The Gators entered the final round tied with Vanderbilt atop the leaderboard but used late birdies from Marina Escobar and Maisie Filler to post an 11-under 277 to win the team title by three strokes over their SEC foe at the Osprey Point Golf Club in Boca Raton, Fla.

Florida's 29-under score of 835 broke the previous program record by three strokes while its 11-under 277 in the final round was tied for third-lowest in program history.

"Great start and a total team effort this week, said Florida head coach Emily Bastel Glaser, who notched her 26th career win at the helm of the Gators. "Really proud of each one of them and how they hung tough and finished strong. There were stretches where we had missed opportunities but they were patient and it paid off. It's a nice tournament to build off of. This group is really committed to the process and we will continue to find little ways to keep improving each week."

Julia Lopez Ramirez

Mississippi State freshman Julia Lopez Ramirez won the individual title with a 16-under score of 200 on rounds of 64-67-69. Her opening round of 64 broke MSU's record for the lowest opening round in school history and marked the second-lowest individual round by a Mississippi State player at 8-under par. It was Ramirez's second win of the season after she won her collegiate debut at the Sam Golden Invitational in the fall.

"Julia has been a true light for our program, and everyone enjoys watching her play," head coach Charlie Ewing said. "Even though she is just a freshman, a lot of people look up to her in a lot of ways which is a testament to her character and maturity. She is incredibly supportive of her teammates when they have success and is able to put her own frustrations aside in order to show encouragement and love for her teammates. That is very impressive for someone who is in their freshman year."

Florida's Jenny Kim, playing as an individual, finished four shots back at 12-under 204 and tied for second with Missouri's Brianne Bolden. Filler had eight birdies on her card en route to turning in the lowest score of the day with a 7-under round of 65 to jump 12 spots up the leaderboard into fourth place at 11-under 205.

Florida and Mississippi State Athletic Communication Depts. contributed to this report

Results: FAU Paradise Invitational

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Julia Lopez Ramirez	, Spain	400	64-67-69=200
T2	Jenny Kim	Orlando, FL	300	68-70-66=204
T2	Brianne Bolden	Mokena, IL	300	70-67-67=204
4	Maisie Filler	Palm Beach Gardens, FL	200	71-69-65=205
T5	Natasha Kiel	New Hope, PA	200	71-70-67=208

View full results for FAU Paradise Invitational

About the FAU Paradise Invitational

Florida wins FAU Paradise Invitational in record-setting fashion

54 hole women's college tournament hosted by Florida Atlantic University. Team (bets four scores out of five players each round) and individual competitions.