After three top-10 finishes this season, Florida junior T.J. Vogel was finally able to win it all Tuesday at the Sea Best Invitational.
Vogel's final round consisted of four birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey for a total of 74 (+2). Although it was not as impressive as his second round, made up of six birdies and only three bogeys, he ended the tournament with an even-par 216 for his first career win.
"It was really cool for T.J. to get the first win of his career here," coach Buddy Alexander said. "He was one of the guys who didn't have his best stuff [Tuesday] but was able to put tougher a solid round to help him win the tournament."
This win is Vogel's fourth consecutive top-10 finish. His worst finish this year came at the season opener, where he still finished strong by tying for 15th with a 217 (+7).
Besides an individual win, Vogel also helped the Gators bring home a first-place team win at the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach.
The men won their second tournament of the season by shooting 297 (+9) for the day, bringing their tournament total to 884 (+20). The Gators finished the Invitational 15 strokes ahead of second-place Liberty.
"[Tuesday] was a good day for us," Alexander said. "We didn't have our good stuff, but we gutted it out.
Junior Tyler McCumber and freshman Eric Banks also helped contribute to UF's win by tying for 11th.
McCumber was able to recover from an 11-over first round by shooting under par in the second and final round. His solid final round meant a 223 (+7) total.
"I'm really proud of how Tyler bounced back after the first round," Alexander said. "It shows a lot about his drive and work ethic to go out there and put up back-to-back rounds under par after a tough 83 in round one."
Also finishing the tournament with a 223 (+7) total, Banks set a new collegiate career low for himself.
"The best part about this win is that we worked so hard during the break and to see immediate results is really great," Alexander said. "So to go out there and get this win sets a really good tone for the rest of the spring."
The No. 7 Gators will host the SunTrust Gator Invitational Feb. 11 at Mark Bostick Golf Course.
A UF press release contributed to this story.
