A.J. Crouch is making a habit of being at the top of the leaderboard.
After winning the individual title at the Florida Gulf Coast Invitational in the final tournament in the fall, Crouch now finds himself in first place after the opening day of the Sea Best Invitational at TPC Sawgrass’ Dye Valley Course.
After 36 holes, the Jacksonville native is 1-under-par and holds a three-shot lead over North Carolina’s Ben Griffin and Coastal Carolina’s Ben Wheeler entering the final 18 holes of play today.
Coach J.C. Deacon said Crouch has made strides not in only in his golf game, but in his personal life as well.
"I’m just so happy for him as a person," Deacon said in a release. "He’s come so, so far, just as a human being. He’s a lot happier, he’s getting along really well with the guys and he’s having a good time. His success on the golf course is coming along with that."
As a team, Florida is in third place at 28-over par. UF is four shots behind leader No. 12 North Carolina and one shot behind rival No. 2 Florida State.
Senior Eric Banks, who is competing in the tournament as an individual, is in a tie for fourth place at 3-over-par.
Fellow senior J.D. Tomlinson sits in a tie for 16th after posting a score of 7-over-par. Newcomer Alejandro Tosti is 10-over-par, while sophomore Ryan Orr is at 12-over.
Freshman Ryan Celano rounds out the UF lineup with a score of 15-over-par.
Deacon knows the team has a chance to win the tournament.
"We’re in the final group again, and that’s where you want to be," Deacon said. "We have a chance to win, and that’s what our goal is."
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