It was a beautiful day for golf. With temperatures in the 70s for most of the morning and afternoon, Gordon Neale approached the 18th hole for the second time on Saturday. Under the coverage of scattered clouds, Neale took out his sand wedge and let loose a shot that elicited a roar from the crowd gathered near the green.
From 121 yards out, his shot sank to the bottom of the cup.
The chip shot saved par for the junior, who led the Gators to sole possession of second place through two rounds of the SunTrust Gator Invitational.
“I didn’t see it go in but I figured it went in when I heard the crowd,” Neale said. “I’ll remember that one forever.”
On Day 1 of the tournament, Florida’s first competitive event of the spring season, the Gators kept pace with No. 3 Vanderbilt, finishing one stroke behind the Commodores.
It was a performance fitting of the No. 8 team in the nation playing on its home course in Gainesville on Saturday. Coach J.C. Deacon had stressed in recent days how comfortable his team was playing at the Mark Bostick Golf Course, calling it a “huge advantage.”
Florida’s performance puts itself in a good position to win the annual home event for the first time since 2011. There is still one round left to play on Sunday after two were played on Saturday.
“I think we could’ve played better, but the guys fought really hard,” Deacon said. “I’m happy with the guys’ effort.”
Senior Alejandro Tosti (-2), redshirt sophomore Blake Dyer (E) and freshman John Axelsen (E) also shot at or below par alongside Neale for UF. It was a disappointing day for sophomore Andy Zhang, however, who rounded out the Gator’s lineup at 3 over.
Only two Gators cracked the top 10 on the individual scoreboard Saturday in Neale and Tosti. Last year, the team finished fourth in the event with four players in the top 10. The fact Florida still finished second on the day speaks volumes on the depth of its roster, which Deacon believes is his team’s best attribute.
“Everyone contributed,” Deacon said. “Everyone’s rounds counted across the board.”
Florida golfers Chris Nido and Won Jun Lee did not make the starting lineup but competed as individuals today. They shot 1 over and 3 over, respectively.
There were 16 teams from around the Southeast that competed in the tournament, with UCF and South Florida tied for third.
Vanderbilt (-8) and Florida (-7) distanced themselves from the rest of the pack during the second round. The Knights and Bulls are a distant five strokes behind (-2).
The Gators tee off at 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning in the tournament’s final round.
Follow Sam Campisano on Twitter @samcampisano and contact him at scampisano@alligator.org.
Coach J.C. Deacon's squad shot 7 under through the first two rounds of the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Saturday.
