For the first time in a long time, Florida positively responded to adversity.
After finishing the first round of the USF Invitational in 12th place on Sunday, the Gators jumped up to ninth thanks to shooting a score of 285 (-3) on Monday. This puts Florida at an even par (576) through 36 holes.
“Today was positive,” coach Buddy Alexander said in a release. “The golf course was a little tougher today, there was a lot more wind and obviously the scores were a little higher. So, this was solid.”
Host team No. 28 USF moved to the top spot of the 17-team field after shooting 19-under in the second round, unseating previous first-placers UNC Greensboro and No. 20 Florida State.
Ryan Orr finished first for the Gators through the second round, repeating his first round score of 71 (-1). J.D. Tomlinson followed close behind, shooting an even par of 72.
Eric Banks greatly improved on his shaky first round, shooting 68 (-4) with the help of a team-leading six birdies. This tied a career-low round score and marks Banks’s best performance of the season.
Santiago Gavino, who is competing as an individual in the three-day tournament, fell off a bit from Sunday, shooting 76 (+4). Victor Tarnstrom’s second round score was the same.
Richard Donegan improved two strokes from round one to round two, shooting 74 (+2).
For Florida, this second round turnaround could possibly be a sign of better days ahead. The Gators will finish off the tournament Tuesday with the third round beginning at 8 a.m.
“It wasn’t spectacular,” Alexander said, “but hopefully it’s a starting point of moving forward with some better play.”
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