Gordon Neale smashed his club into the mulch.
After coming up about five yards short of the green on a wedge shot from the deep rough, the sophomore finished the par-5 seventh hole with a bogey during the first round. For the Gators, it was that kind of weekend at Mark Bostick Golf Course.
Despite beautiful conditions on Sunday, No. 2 Florida just couldn’t find its swing as Arkansas was able to win the SunTrust Gator Invitational by seven strokes over Missouri and Jacksonville. Charles Kim, a sophomore for the Razorbacks, stole the individual title on the last hole. Kim sunk a 15-foot birdie putt from the top of the green, vaulting him ahead of Missouri freshman Rory Franssen at 6 under.
“Just too many mistakes. And just pushing too hard on a golf course that you couldn’t push around,” coach J.C. Deacon said.
“We just made too many mistakes when we couldn’t, and they were all mental. Our talent is there. We have world-class players. We just gotta be smarter and more patient and disciplined.”
The Gators finished in sole possession of fourth place at 13-over par. But despite the fourth place team finish, the Gators saw four of their eight players finish in the top 10.
Alejandro Tosti couldn’t continue his streak of top-three finishes but still provided a solid tournament for Florida, finishing at 1 over after shooting 4-under par in the final round.
“I think I had good momentum,” he said, “and that’s really common of me when I’m playing good. It’s easy to keep going.”
Andy Zhang, UF’s lone freshman, also tied for sixth after shooting 4 under in the final round. He was kept out of the UF team lineup because of a wrist injury, but he played as an individual to test the wrist. This was his first time playing eighteen holes in four months.
Deacon had high praise for Zhang, even with the doubts about his wrist being 100 percent.
“Andy is an ultimate team player. He loves the guys, loves being a part of the Gators,” Deacon said. “He didn’t want to risk possibly not being able to play the full day… He didn’t want to put his own team at risk, (which was) a very mature decision.”
Tied for eighth place was Sam Horsfield, last year’s runner up. The sophomore started the day with two birdies through the first six holes. However, on the par-3 eighth, Horsfield drove short of the green, ending up in the water and finishing with a double bogey on the hole. He also shot a double bogey on the ninth hole.
But he bounced back, closing the round with two birdies on 17 and 18. He finished the round with a 71.
The last Gator to finish in the top-10 was senior A.J. Crouch. Crouch was able to bounce back from shooting 3-over par in the second round with a 1-over final round to tie for 10th place.
Deacon said his preparation was good, but it just couldn’t find a way to execute.
“We’re ranked second in the country right now," Deacon said. "To be honest, we expect to win every tournament that we play in.”
Contact Justin Ahlum at jahlum@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @justinn_case1.
UF's Alejandro Tosti stares at the ground during the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 18, 2017, at the Mark Bostic Golf Course.
