The Gators fired the lone under-par score in the second round of the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational on Monday to move within four strokes of first-place California.
No. 6 Florida struggled down the stretch in the first round of play but responded with a second-round 286 (-2) to leapfrog five spots into third place.
UF overtook No. 3 Alabama and No. 8 Arkansas in the second round due largely to the collective efforts of Tyler McCumber, T.J. Vogel and J.D. Tomlinson.
“Today we had several good scores,” coach Buddy Alexander said.
McCumber was a driving force behind Florida’s surge, finishing the second round with a tournament-low 68 (-4). McCumber started strong, turning in two of his three birdies and an eagle through the first seven holes.
He sits in a three-way tie for second place with a two-under tournament total. California’s Michael Kim is in first at five-under.
Vogel followed suit, carding a 70 (-2) to move up 15 spots on the individual leaderboard. Vogel notched five birdies in the round, including four on the back nine. The Cooper City native has shot even-par through two rounds, good for a three-way tie for seventh place. He began the day tied for 22nd.
Tomlinson was the third and final Gator to finish at or under par for the round. He turned in a balanced round of 72 (E).
“Our three best players really turned it up today,” Alexander said. “Tyler was terrific, T.J. had a great rally at the end and J.D. was solid, as well.”
Tommy Mou and A.J. Crouch rounded out the Gators’ lineup, turning in round scores of 76 (+4) and 78 (+6), respectively.
“There is still a lot of golf left to be played,” Alexander said. “We are playing with some of the best teams out there and need to have five good scores tomorrow.”
Florida takes the course today to round out the fall season with the third and final round of the tournament.
Senior T.J. Vogel and the Gators finished 25th at the NCAA Championships in Woodstock, Ga.
