Sophomore J.D. Tomlinson – the first round’s weak link – became Florida’s firm foundation on Day 2 of the NCAA Championships in Woodstock, Ga.
Tomlinson bounced back from arocky stretch of three bogeys in four holes at the end of his first nine.
The Gainesville native finished with three birdies on his second nine and ended the round tied for Florida’s lowest score with senior Tyler McCumber at 69 (-1). Tomlinson’s 11-shot improvement was the third highest of any player in the field.
“The difference between playing in the morning and the afternoon can be pretty significant,” coach Buddy Alexander said in a release. “There wasn’t as much wind and I thought the hole locations were a lot easier today.”
McCumber also took advantage of the conditions, improving three shots from his first-round score and staying atop Florida’s team leaderboard with 141 (+1).
Despite the improvements from both golfers, their teammates didn’t show the same improvement.
Senior T.J. Vogel and Tommy Mou each duplicated their round-one performances, finishing at 72 (+2) and 75 (+5), respectively. Sophomore Eric Banks shot one stroke higher in the second round, carding a 73 (+3).
The Gators are 14 shots below the match-play cutoff line of even par at the end of Round 2. After Florida’s play during Rounds 1 and 2 and only one round left in stroke play, today might be the last chance for Florida to compete this season.
“It’s disappointing,” Alexander said. “When all three facets of the game are not particularly good, it doesn’t matter how hard you try or how smart you play. You’re just not going to get it done. That is what is happening so far.”
Senior Tyler McCumber putts during the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 10 at Mark Bostick Golf Course.
