The Florida men’s golf team came into this weekends Schenkel
Invitational looking to rebound from disappointing showings at its
previous two tournaments.
After finishing its first round in second place at 6-under-par —
three shots behind the tournament-leading Auburn — the team appears
to be finding the form that boosted them to No. 2 in the NCAA golf
rankings earlier this season.
Rounds in the 60’s by Bank Vongvanij and Philip Choi helped keep
the Gators in contention, despite an inconsistent 3-over par round
by Michael Furci. The junior carded four birdies on the day, but
his six bogies and one double bogey left him tied for 46th in the
individual competition.
Sophomore Philip Choi continued his consistent play with a
3-under-par 69, but by far the biggest story of the day was the
6-under-par 66 posted by the captain Vongvanij.
The senior’s first fourteen holes yielded a solid score of 2-under
par, but Vongvanii caught fire over the final five holes, carding
four birdies to finish 6-under-par. Vongvanij’s late run placed him
at the top of the individual leaderboard, two strokes clear of
Auburn’s Blayne Barber
Vongvanij’s back-nine tear was a welcome sign for the No. 3 golfer,
who was frustrated by his play in the last two events after not
being in contention for an individual title since the Gator
Invitational in February.
“He played well at this tournament last year,” said head coach
Buddy Alexander, “so I thought he would play well today.”
Senior Andres Echavarria shot an even-par 72 on Friday, continuing
a run of solid golf since his Gator Invitational title earlier in
the season. Echavarria has been a steady force on a team that has
struggled with its consistency in its last couple of events.
