UF lucky to have Filler as anchor
GAINESVILLE — Florida golfer senior Maisie Filler has used the same ball marker since she was 12, epitomizing her focus, meticulous nature and superstitious side.
Filler’s oldest and most omnipresent piece of golf equipment resembles a four-leafed clover and is no larger than a quarter. She has never played a competitive round without it, despite instances of separation anxiety.
“I’ve lost it a couple of times momentarily,” she said. “But I always find it.”
Filler’s rise to the top of women’s college golf, otherwise, has been anything but lucky.
Preparation and opportunity have coalesced this season for Filler, who enters Friday’s regular-season finale at the University of Georgia with three victories to anchor the nation’s 11th-ranked team.
“I’m certainly very proud of her and happy, although I don’t know that I’m particularly shocked,” coach Emily Glaser told the Orlando Sentinel. “Golf is an interesting sport where you just never know when something’s going to click.”
The pieces have fallen in place for Filler following her share of near-misses, including three runner-up finishes the past two seasons.
An offseason coaching change to Jason Baile of Jupiter Hills has simplified her course management and sharpened her short game to enhance already elite ball striking.
“It’s helped me be a lot more consistent in my game,” Filler said.
The Gators’ talented and ebullient freshmen further energized the 22-year-old, along with Glaser’s program.
First-year players, led by Inès Archer of France, have been fixtures in the starting lineup all season and elevated the competition on a daily basis.
“The young players are motivated to work because they want to be in the lineup, and our older players have been motivated to work because they don’t want to be beat by the freshmen,” Glaser said. “This is probably the hardest-working team I’ve had in a number of years.”
To encourage teamwork and discourage rivalry, Glaser created a “big sis program” to pair each of her four seniors with a first-year freshman.
Filler and Archer proved a perfect match based on personality and skill level, with the golfers holding the Nos. 1 and 2 spots in the five-person lineup during four of the past five tournaments.
“It definitely created a lot of harmony,” Filler said. “It definitely helped us kickstart our relationships with one another. But now we’re all have created our own relationships aside from that program, too, which has been great.”
Archer will make her first appearance at the No. 1 spot during this weekend’s Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Ga., a spot held by Filler all but once in 202324.
Yet, even at No. 2 Filler is the Gators’ alpha. Her three individual titles are the most by a UF golfer since Sierra Brooks won three times in 2018. She’s No. 3 in the nation.
Filler’s maiden victory Oct. 10 at the North Carolina’s Tar Heel Invitational opened the floodgates.
She has top-3 finishes in five of seven events while her scoring average of 70.0 is well ahead of fifth-year Jackie Lucena (73.0) and Archer (73.1).
“It’s definitely gratifying,” she said. “I know I’m working on the right things, but it’s definitely kept me focused on my practice and my process to make sure I can keep producing those results.”
Filler tied for 29th pn March 12 at the Briar’s Creek Invitational, her lowest finish since she tied for 30th at the 2023 SEC Championship. She then tied for 24th during the NCAA Regional as UF failed to the reach the championship round for the third straight season.
Filler and the Gators now aim to put their postseason struggles behind them during the coming months, beginning with the conference tournament April 12-16 at Pelican Golf Club south of Clearwater.
“We have the depth and the talent to make a nice run,” Glaser said. “I am hesitant to put a label on what the exactly that would be because we don’t get to play defense in our sport, so we have to focus on ourselves. It’s gotten us this far.”