Two Florida golfers most likely slept pretty well Monday night, and two others, not so much.
After the first two rounds of the Valspar Invitational at The Floridian on Monday, UF is in 14th place out of the 15-team field with a 571 (+3) score through 36 holes. It is 16 strokes ahead of last-place Lamar on the par-71 course.
Although the Gators found success in the first round, shooting 281 collectively and cracking into the top five teams, they struggled in the second round by totaling 290 strokes.
No. 2 Oklahoma State and No. 4 Georgia Tech both lead the field with scores of 554 (-14).
J.D. Tomlinson and Richard Donegan have each done their part for the Gators through the first day of the tournament. Both are ranked inside the top 10 on the player leaderboard with under-par scores.
Tomlinson is in a tie for fourth place after shooting 68 in the first round and 67 in the second round, bringing him to a 135 (-7).
“J.D had a good day, played some great golf,” coach Buddy Alexander said in a release. “That’s what we’ve been talking about — trying to play smarter and he did it.”
Donegan isn’t far behind, scoring a 69 each in the first two rounds and totaling 138 (-4). He is tied for 10th place, thanks to hitting 11 birdies.
“Richard Donegan had his best day as a Gator,” Alexander said. “I know he’s capable of a lot; he’s got a lot of horsepower and makes a lot of birdies. Today he cracked down, and it showed up on the scoreboard.”
But as good as Tomlinson and Donegan played Monday to help bring their team up, Ryan Orr and Conor Richardson brought the Gators down with their performances.
The duo rounded out the last two spots of the 75-man field through Rounds 1 and 2. Orr is tied for 73rd place after shooting rounds of 77 and 78, which brings him to a 155 total (+13). Richardson ended up dead last with rounds of 76 and 81. He shot 15 strokes over par.
Eric Banks’ day turned out to be a combination of how his four teammates have done so far.
The junior played well in the first round, shooting 68 (-4), but fell off pace in the second round. He shot 76 (+4), leading to a 144 two-round total and a two-way tie for 50th place.
Florida will finish out the tournament today with the third and final round. Play will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a split tee start.
“We still didn’t quite get a fourth score in (the) morning round and only got two good ones in (the) afternoon,” Alexander said. “So, something to build on and something to work toward.”
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J.D. Tomlinson tees off on Day 2 of the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 16 at the Mark Bostick Golf Course. Tomlinson is in fourth place after Day 1 of the Valspar Invitational.
