Describing head coach Buddy Alexander as unhappy with Florida’s performance in the first day of its season-opening tournament would be an understatement.
“Really a disappointing day today,” Alexander said in a release. “We have guys that are playing extremely well and just didn’t do anything positive today.”
The Gators shot a combined 304 (+16) Monday in the Sea Best Invitational in Ponte Vedra and are currently tied with Tennessee and Winthrop for fifth out of 16 teams.
In his first tournament as a Gator, sophomore transfer Richard Donegan led the way for Florida on Day 1, shooting 73 (+1). He is tied for ninth place after the first round.
“Richard played OK his first time out as a Gator,” Alexander said. “He was decent, but the other four played pretty poorly.” Santiago Gavino, Ryan Orr, J.D. Tomlinson and Victor Tarnstrom all shot over par, ranging from two to 10 strokes.
Alexander had been expecting better results.
The Gators are accustomed to playing in Florida weather while other participating teams, such as Liberty and USC Upstate, have been practicing in colder, less humid temperatures.
But both teams are currently ranked ahead of the Gators, leading them by 13 and two strokes, respectively.
Florida also has the advantage of playing — and winning — at Sea Best before. It won back-to-back invitational titles in 2011 and 2012.
The Gators have a lot of ground to make up today to match those finishes. They are nowhere near the championship numbers they put up in years past and sit at 13 strokes behind leader Liberty.
The teams could not complete the scheduled 36 holes due to darkness, so UF will conclude the tournament with the remaining holes on today starting at 8 a.m.
“We have to find a way to improve and get this thing figured out,” Alexander said.
Follow Layne Weitzel on Twitter @laynejweitzel
