The Florida men’s golf team traveled to Tucson, Arizona, to compete in the National Invitational Tournament Friday.
The Gators sat in a tie for fifth after 36 holes on day one. The team shot a 282 in round one and a 285 in round two to finish nine-under-par.
Sophomore Ryan Hart recorded three eagles Friday. This makes his first start in the lineup following his first collegiate victory. Hart tied his career low with a four-under-par 72 in the second round with a bogey-free five-under-par in round one.
Hart’s first eagle and two birdies pushed Florida into the lead at six-under-par in the first round. The sophomore was tied for 14th going into Saturday.
Senior Ricky Castillo shot his fourth-straight round of even or under-par, which left him tied for tenth. He was five strokes back from the solo lead. Castillo shot his 11th round in the 60s with a score of four-under-par 72 Friday.
Senior Fred Biondi was under par as well with a one-under-par 72, which tied him for 31st.
Redshirt freshman Matthew Kress tied for 36th and tied his career-low with one bogey.
Three Gators finished in the top 20 Saturday.
UF scored 14-under-par overall for its fifth-straight under-par performance by double digits. The Gators finished in seventh.
Biondi finished four-under-par in 16th, marking his sixth tournament under par.
Kress scored his second three-under-par Saturday. The redshirt freshman had one bogey on the 17th hole. He wrapped up the tournament with a birdie on the 18th, jumping him 16 spots to finish in a tie for 20th.
Castillo tied for 20th with Kress. He also shot three-under-par. Hart finished in a tie for 27th in his debut in the starting lineup.
The Gators will finish their regular season at the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational April 1-2 before they compete in the Southeastern Conference Championship April 19.
Contact Madilyn Destefano at mdestefano@alligtor.org. Follow her on Twitter @DestefanoMadi.
