For the second tournament in a row, a mental error cost the Florida men’s golf team.
At the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 21, sophomore Alejandro Tosti was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard, dropping the Gators from a share of second into third place alone. Now, with the No. 2 Gators’ reputation on the line at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas, an event hosting 15 teams, nine of which are in the top 20, Tosti was again disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.
However, this time, the team dropped more than just a spot. UF originally held a 1-shot lead before Tosti’s blunder. Now, instead of leading heading into Day 2 of the three-day competition, the Gators find themselves in seventh place at 7 over par, four shots back of No. 14 Arizona State, who finished the day at 3 over.
"It was a really tough day, coach J.C. Deacon said in a release. "The course is just in absolute championship condition. It tests all parts of your game and especially your patience and mentality."
Four of the five teams ahead of the Gators are ranked in the top 10, making UF’s task of crawling back up the leaderboard all the more difficult.
Behind the Sun Devils is a three-way tie for second at 4 over par between No. 1 Illinois, No. 8 Southern California and SMU. No. 10 Oklahoma State is in fifth alone at 5 over, and Southeastern Conference rival, No. 4 Alabama rests in sixth place at 6 over.
It wasn’t all bad news for the Gators, however.
Freshman Sam Horsfield, who is coming off a runner-up finish at the Gators’ lone home tournament, found himself in a familiar spot after Monday’s opening round. Horsfield made five birdies on his way to a 3-under 69, giving himself a share of the lead with UNLV’s Taylor Montgomery and ASU’s Jon Rahm. However, Horsfield was the only Gator to shoot under par on the difficult course.
Freshman Jorge Garcia had a wild round on the 7,374-yard trek. Garcia recorded six bogeys, a double bogey, five birdies and an ace en route to a 1-over 73. After a rough start, Garcia fought his way down to 3 under.
However, four bogeys on the final six holes stalled out his round, giving him a share of 15th place. The other two golfers in the Gators’ would-be five-man lineup, freshman Kyler Tate and junior Ryan Orr, had a hard time navigating the course.
Tate opened with a 3-over 75, placing him in a tie for 34th, and Orr, who opened the back nine with five-straight bogeys, limped into the club house with a 6-over 78, placing him well behind in a tie for 64th.
The Gators, a man down and looking for their second victory of the Spring season, will start the second round of the tournament today.
"It really shows us where we stack up. I think we’re right there," Deacon said. "We have some really special kids who, when the lights come on for the tournament, they show up."
Contact Ray Boone at rboone@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @rboone1994.
Alejandro Tosti putts during the 2015 SunTrust Gator Invitational on UF's Mark Bostick Golf Course.
