After losing its top two golfers from last season, the Florida men’s golf team wasn’t expected to compete on a national level this year.
With the team relying on sophomores who saw little action during their first year in Gainesville, expectations were low.
But Tyler McCumber, Phillip Choi and Tommy Mou helped the Gators earn a No. 3 national ranking and the top spot on the leaderboard at the JU Invitational two weeks ago.
The Gators will face a much stronger field at this weekend’s Gator Invitational than they did at the JU Invitational.
UF’s stiffest competition will come from rival Florida State and Southeastern Conference foes No. 8 LSU and No. 10 Auburn, two of the three teams that have beaten Florida since the fall season began.
McCumber and Choi finished in the top eight, while Mou rebounded from early struggles to come in 19th.
The trio has earned the confidence of Florida coach Buddy Alexander, who said that he hasn’t been all that surprised by their emergence.
“The biggest jump in improvement is usually between the freshman and sophomore year,” Alexander said. “They figure out time management and how to work on their games.
“That’s when their maturation process really evolves the most.”
Choi, McCumber and Mou, along with seniors Bank Vongvanij and Andres Echavarria, will be favored to win their home tournament, which starts at 8 a.m. on the Mark Bostick Golf Course, for the eighth straight year.
