The Virginia women's golf team has been impossible to read. A runner-up finish at the Gators Invitational — two under par, besting No. 12 UNC — offered a rare moment of clarity heading into ACC and NCAA tournament play, bolstered by a strong showing from junior Mira Berglund.
Then came a fifth-place finish, 29 shots off the lead and 21 behind second place, and whatever clarity existed evaporated.
Virginia traveled to Florida again this past weekend, this time to Seminole Legacy Golf Club for the tournament hosted by Florida State. The par-72 course stretched 7,800 yards and proved difficult for much of the field — six competing teams ranked inside the national top 55, yet most shot well over par, and Virginia was no exception.
The Cavaliers used the same lineup from their last tournament — junior Jaclyn Laha, junior Mira Berglund, freshman Elsie MacCleery, freshman Miranda Lu, sophomore Kennedy Swedick and freshman Remi Bacardi, who competed as an individual.
Day one opened with Laha leading the Cavaliers, carding a one-under 71 that placed her in tenth and just two strokes off the lead. Her round was one of only 10 under-par scores on the day.
Bacardi followed closely at one-over par, placing her in a tie for 15th, but the rest of the squad struggled, posting scores of three, five and six-over. Berglund's three-over 75 masked an otherwise impressive outing — she recorded four birdies, tied for third-most on the day.
Despite Laha's strong start, the Cavaliers finished eighth on day one. Day two brought a split result — three Cavaliers placed inside the top 20 of the tournament, yet the team posted its worst collective score of the event.
Berglund opened day two with three bogeys on the opening hole but recovered well, finishing at one-over 73 and becoming one of three Cavaliers to crack the top 20 for the round. Bacardi and Laha maintained their consistency, both carding one-over pars — placing Bacardi in a tie for 14th and keeping Laha inside the top 10.
Aside from Lu, Swedick and MacCleery were unable to improve on their day-one scores, accounting for Virginia's worst team total of the tournament.
Day three brought a sharp turnaround. The Cavaliers posted their lowest team score of the event at 291, though it proved too little too late — Virginia climbed to fifth place, still five shots behind fourth-place Illinois.
The low score was driven again by Bacardi and Laha. While Laha closed solidly with a one-under par, Bacardi commanded the spotlight with a three-under 68 — tied for the lowest single round recorded by any player in the 69-player field over the three days at Seminole Legacy Golf Club. The round placed her in a tie for fourth.
Swedick and MacCleery both improved on their day-two outings, posting rounds of 72 and 73 respectively. Lu remained at 76, while Berglund closed with her worst round of the tournament, a seven-over 79.
While the Cavaliers did not put together their best team outings, day three offered a bright spot — Virginia was one of just three teams with a top-10 finisher, as Bacardi cracked the top 10 for the first time in her career.
While the day-three showing offered a glimpse of what Virginia is capable of, the Cavaliers will need to string together that level of play for a full tournament — not just a single round — if they hope to contend going forward. The squad heads to College Park April 5 for the Terps Invitational, hosted by Maryland.
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