Round 1 of the eighth annual Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational concluded with No. 18 Florida struggling in last place with a score of 308 (+28).
No Gator cracked the top 30 on Friday afternoon, leaving UF thinking on how it will approach the second round.
“Obviously it was a tough day, it was very windy,” coach Buddy Alexander said. “The course was difficult and our nerves showed up on the scoreboard.”
The Gators fell victim to the harsh conditions and ended the first round of play in 15th place.
The team’s leader was junior J.D. Tomlinson, who finished 5-over par (75), followed by junior Eric Banks, who recorded a 76 (+6).
The Gators finished shooting 28-over as a team as six unranked teams finished the day ahead of UF on the scoreboard.
The day’s leaders consisted of defending champion No. 1 Alabama (+1) and runner-up No. 8 Oklahoma State (+11). No. 3 Texas and Texas Tech finished tied for third place at 12-over par.
As the upper classmen paved the way for the Gators, the freshmen had their first take at Division I collegiate level golf but finished on the bottom of the roster. Ryan Orr finished tied for 71st place shooting 10 over.
Alexander said it was going to be interesting and exciting to see what his youngest team could do on the course, as he didn’t know what to expect until they played.
“It will get better,” said Alexander. “It’s a long season. Young teams always get better.”
Play will continue Saturday with the second round of the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational at 10 a.m.
Follow Lawrence Laguna on Twitter @LagunaLawrence.
