The No. 12 Florida Gators men’s golf team opened up spring play with a bang on Monday at the Sea Best Invitational due to the spectacular play of the team’s underclassmen.
The Gators — headed by a five-man lineup of freshmen Jorge Garcia, Sam Horsfield and Kyler Tate, sophomore Alejandro Tosti and junior Ryan Orr — dominated the first day of competition at the par-70 Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass, posting a 17-under-par 543 after 36 holes.
"This morning and this first round were a product of the last two months for this team," UF coach J.C. Deacon said in a release. "They’ve been working so hard, preparing so well, sacrificing a lot to be in the position they were, and the guys were just really ready to play."
UF holds a commanding lead over the 15-team field entering the final round of the 54-hole event.
No. 6 North Carolina, with a 2-over-par total of 562, is alone in second, and Liberty University, with a 9-over-par total of 569, is alone in third.
The Gators hit the ground running to start the opening 18, posting a blistering 15-under-par 265. Tosti fired an opening-round of 6-under 64. Horsfield made six birdies en-route to a 5-under 65. Garcia had a bogey-free, 4-under 66. And Orr rounded out UF’s top four with an even-par round of 70. Tosti’s 64 and Horsfield’s 65 set personal bests in collegiate competition. The red-hot Gators would cool off slightly in the second round.
Garcia was 1 under par when he came to the 17th hole — a monstrous 499-yard par-4. He would triple bogey the hole to finish his round with a 2-over-par 72. At 2 under, Garcia sits in fourth place alone. However, Horsfield, Tosti and Orr were there to pick up the slack.
Horsfield and Tosti finished the second round with solid rounds of 68 and 69, respectively. At 7 under par, the two players will enter the final round tied for second — only a shot back of North Carolina’s Joshua Martin, who opened with rounds of 64 and 68.
Orr improved upon his first-round 70 with a 1-under-par 69, giving him a share of fifth place with Lipscomb University’s Dawson Armstrong and Campbell University’s Gaston Bertinotti.
The Gators will look to finish the final round on a strong note as they move toward their first win of the spring schedule.
"Believe it or not, as good as (Horsfield’s and Tosti’s) play was, there were still some pretty glaring errors for both that they need to improve on," Deacon said. "I think they can be even better than they were today.
Contact Ray Boone at rboone@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @rboone1994.
Alejandro Tosti putts during the 2015 SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 14.
