After a disastrous first round of golf for the Gators men’s and women’s golf teams, both teams fared better on the second day of the Southeastern Conference Championships.
The men’s team finished in last place after the first round but managed to move up to 11th in the second round, in reach of another top-10 finish on the year.
“We will do the best we can tomorrow and start getting prepared for the NCAA Regionals in a few weeks,” coach Buddy Alexander said in a release.
Leading the way was senior captain Tyler McCumber, who was the only golfer to shoot under par (-2, 68) for the Gators. McCumber is tied for eighth going into the final round.
Florida had two golfers with six-stroke improvements from the first round. Sophomore Eric Banks improved from 11 over par on the first day (81) to just five over (75) in the second.
Fellow sophomore J.D. Tomlinson went from seven over par on the first day (77) to one over (71) in the second round.
The Gators also saw a three-stroke improvement out of freshman A.J. Crouch, who shot five-over par (75) in the second round.
The only golfer who did not improve his score was senior T.J. Vogel, who dropped from four over in the first round (74) to six over in the second (76).
The women’s team has also failed to live up to expectations in the SEC championship. The Gators shot 30 over par as a team in the second round to tie for 12th (+57).
The only player for Florida who has played to her usual standard is sophomore Camilla Hedberg. Hedberg shot identical rounds of four over (76) to remain in contention for another top finish.
“I’m proud of Camilla for hanging in there despite the tough conditions,” coach Emily Bastel said in a release. “She is playing a lot better than she is scoring and she’s frustrated by that. She is due to break out anytime and I have every confidence she can and will.”
Senior Mia Piccio and junior Elcin Ulu were the only two Gators to improve their scores in the second round. Piccio improved three strokes to go seven over par (79) while Ulu shot six over par (78).
The last two Florida starters, Isabelle Lendl and Ursa Orehek, had disastrous second rounds. Lendl shot 15-over par (87) and Orehek shot 13-over par (85).
“We’ve just made too many mistakes this week, and this is the type of golf course where you can’t beat yourself,” Bastel said in a release. “We are a lot better team than we’re showing and hopefully we can come to play tomorrow.”
Both teams will finish off their SEC championship appearances tomorrow.
Senior Tyler McCumber putts during the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 10 at Mark Bostick Golf Course.
