After playing in two rounds in one day for the first time this season, the Florida men’s golf team finished Day 1 of the Crooked Stick Intercollegiate in Carmel, Ind., in a tie for fifth place on Monday.
“We got off to a poor start again,” coach Buddy Alexander said. “We got to figure out a way to get out of the box a little better.”
The Gators started the day off slowly but improved throughout the course with junior J.D. Tomlinson leading the way.
Tomlinson (+3) is tied for sixth place with four other players and is the only Gator to place in the top 10. Tomlinson shot a 72 in his first round and a 75 in the second, keeping him one stroke from fifth place.
For the first time this season after two rounds, freshman Ryan Orr (+6) finished in UF’s top two. Orr shot even par in Round 1 but struggled to stay consistent in the second round and shot a 78.
Fellow freshman Tarnstrom struggled in the opening day by shooting 10-over par. He is tied for 39th place.
Florida (+28) sits behind tournament leader Georgia (+9) and runner-up Florida State (+12).
The Gators will hope for a faster start during the third and final round Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.
“This is a young team and you have to be patient with them,” Alexander said. “Clearly, we are better than we played. Hopefully [Tuesday] we will step up and play a better round.”
Follow Lawrence Laguna on Twitter @LagunaLawrence.
