Gordon Neale is making a name for himself at Florida.
Neale, who was held out of tournaments for most of the year due to injury, now finds himself performing at a high level on college golf’s biggest stage — the NCAA National Championship.
The freshman led the No. 16-seed Gators on Day 2 in Eugene, Oregon, carding five birdies to post a sizzling 3-under-par 67, the second-lowest round of the day.
Neale is in fourth place at 3 under for the tournament and only two shots behind the lead held by Southern California’s Justin Suh at 5 under.
Meanwhile, UF sits in a tie for 12th place after Round 2.
“I was just happy with the decisions I was making on the course,” Neale said in a release. “I did a really good job of getting it in play off the tee, and from there, this golf course is really scoreable.”
Alejandro Tosti, who shot 5 over in the first round, greatly improved in Round 2. The sophomore got off to a great start on Eugene Country Club’s front nine with an eagle on the par-5 fourth. Tosti was 4 under with three holes to play but gave three shots back with a triple bogey on 16 and a bogey on 18. Tosti shot an even-par 70 and is in a tie for 64th at 5 over.
However, the rest of the Gators’ lineup struggled mightily with Eugene’s narrow fairways and fast greens.
Sam Horsfield, the winningest freshman in UF history, shot a 5-over 75 in Round 2 — his worst round since the first round of the Valspar Collegiate in March. Horsfield is in a tie for 64th at 5 over.
Jorge Garcia only had two birdies on the day. Seven bogeys resulted in a 5-over 75 and a share of 81st.
Ryan Orr had the toughest day of any Florida player. The junior, who was birdieless in Round 2, shot a 10-over 80 and is in a tie for 150th.
As a team, Florida is hanging on by a thread.
Sunday’s round is the last round before the 30-team field is cut to 15.
At 13 over and in a tie for 12th, the Gators are only two shots within the top-15 cutline. One bad hole on Sunday could mean the difference between advancing and heading home.
UF coach J.C. Deacon said he wasn’t pleased with his team’s attitude during the second round.
“We weren’t really resilient, which is tough to see on such an important day,” Deacon said.
For the Gators, who are playing for their fifth national title in program history, to advance to Round 4, things will have to change.
“We have two rounds left to show the nation who we are,” Deacon said.
Contact Ray Boone at rboone@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @rboone1994
Gordon Neale lines up a shot during the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 21 at the Mark Bostick Golf course.
