In a way, Buddy Alexander is returning home again.
Florida has put its wheels down in Statesboro, Ga., for the three-day Chris Schenkel Invitational at the par-72 Forest Heights Country Club course.
Statesboro is the home of coach Alexander’s old stomping grounds as an alumnus of and former player and coach at Georgia Southern. The Eagles are the host team of the tournament.
Alexander graduated from the university in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in recreation and in 1980 with a master’s in educational administration. Athletically, he received All-America honors in 1974 and 1975 and coached the Eagles to a seventh-place finish in the NCAA Tournament in 1980 — their highest place in his four years coaching at the school.
But Florida has signed Alexander’s paychecks for 26 years, and he is all in with the Gators this weekend.
UF will look to build upon its ninth-place finish a week ago at the USF Invitational. It is up against a 14-team field that features No. 8 UCF, No. 11 Virginia and No. 13 UAB. Florida has met UCF and UAB two times this season, most recently at its home SunTrust Gator Invitational in February.
The Gators are sending out Victor Tarnstrom, Richard Donegan, Ryan Orr, Eric Banks and J.D. Tomlinson for the five-man lineup. Santiago Gavino will compete as an individual.
“We have the same six guys competing that we did at Lake Jovita, with one playing as an individual,” Alexander said in a release. “Hopefully, the last two rounds at Jovita will carry into this event.”
Florida finished fourth at the tournament last year with a total score of 873 (+9). Banks was the lowest scorer for the Gators, shooting 216 (E) in three rounds and tying for 11th place.
Tomlinson was the next best Florida finisher, tying for 16th place with a score of 219 (+3).
Play will begin at 8 a.m. Friday with the first 18 holes. Florida is paired with No. 15 Texas and Southeastern Conference foe No. 29 Kentucky for the first round. The next 36 holes will follow on Saturday and Sunday.
“Friday will be important for us,” Alexander said. “It’s a field that we can be competitive with and I have a good feeling going in.”
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J.D. Tomlinson tees off during Day 2 of the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 16 at the Mark Bostick Golf Course.
