Florida’s men’s golf team was flying high Monday after jumping out to a three-stroke lead on the first day of the Southern Highlands Collegiate event. Today, its momentum evaporated in the Nevada sun.
After shooting 6 under as a team on Monday, No. 7 Florida shot 5 over par Tuesday. That result dropped the Gators into a tie for second place in the event, a stroke behind No. 32 TCU. Florida’s performance Tuesday was tied for fourth worst out of the 16 teams competing in Las Vegas.
Maybe the most disappointing player for the Gators on the day was freshman John Axelsen. Occupying the final spot in Florida’s lineup, Axelsen put in a remarkable performance Monday, shooting 3 under par and putting himself into a tie for fifth on the event’s individual leaderboard.
Tuesday, however, Axelsen reversed his score. He shot 3 over par, which dropped him into a tie for 12th on the individual leaderboard.
It was not, however, Florida’s worst score of the day. Fellow freshman Chris Nido shot a 78 – 6 over – on the tournament’s second day after shooting a 70 on its first.
None of the five golfers in Florida’s lineup improved on his score from Monday. Senior Alejandro Tosti struggled once again, shooting 2 over for the second straight day.
The lone bright spot on the day was the consistent performance of Florida’s No. 1 golfer, junior Gordon Neale. Neale has shot a 70 on both days of the event, and currently sits in a tie for second place on the individual leaderboard.
Despite the lackluster performance Tuesday, Florida is still among the team leaders heading into Wednesday’s finale. The first tee time for UF’s group is set for 2:40 p.m.
Follow Sam Campisano on Twitter @samcampisano and contact him at scampisano@alligator.org.
Junior Gordon Neale led the Gators on Day 2 of the Southern Highlands Collegiate with a 2 under, his second time carding a 70 in as many days.