While the rest of the team struggled to get under par, junior Alejandro Tosti cruised through the Nike Golf Collegiate Invitational in Dallas on Tuesday.
Tosti placed third at the tournament with a score of 4 under par, the first time he placed within the top-five since the NCAA Regionals in May
He was the only Gator not to tally a positive score in the final round, as he evened out with three birdies and three bogeys.
Largely due to Tosti’s play, the Gators men’s golf team finished in second place with an even-par score, only one stroke behind tournament-winner Vanderbilt.
“Alejandro (Tosti) had a heck of a day shooting even par, and I know he didn’t finish the way he wanted to, but that was a great score and to finish third for him is awesome,” coach J.C. Deacon said in a release.
Tosti wasn’t the only Gator to finish in the top 10, though.
Sophomore Jorge Garcia shot 1 over par after carding two birdies, a bogey and a double bogey, good for a share of eighth place.
And sophomore Gordon Neale carded three birdies and five bogeys to place in a tie for 14th with a 3-over-par score.
However, the two remaining Gators didn’t fare as well.
Junior Ryan Celano, who finished tied for 30th at 7 over par, recorded eight bogeys and just one birdie.
Sophomore Sam Horsfield finished in a tie for 35th following a 9-over-par performance with six bogeys and one birdie.
“I really appreciated how the team fought,” Deacon said. “I don’t think they all had their best today, but they fought their tails off the last five, six, seven holes and really played some good golf.”
The Gators enter their final tournament of the Fall season with the Tavistock Collegiate starting on Oct. 16.
Women’s:
Like she’s been all tournament, freshman Marta Perez was a huge part of the Florida women’s golf team’s success in its final round at the Windy City Classic in Evanston, Illinois on Tuesday.
The Valencia, Spain, native was the only Gator to finish below par and one of two Gators to finish within the top 20.
She ended the tournament at 3 under par with four birdies and three bogeys in the final round, good for a share of seventh place.
At the end of the Windy City Classic, Florida finished in fourth with a 1-over-par score.
“I’m happy for the team to post one of the lowest rounds of the day,” coach Emily Glaser said in a release. “We had a slow start, but we played really solid through the middle of the round.”
It’s the Gators’ third tournament this season that they’ve placed within the top five.
Senior Kelly Grassel, who finished in a tie for 20th, carded a 2-over-par score with five birdies and three bogeys.
The final three Gators finished in a tie for 25th.
Senior Maria Torres quickly fell behind following a quadruple bogey on the first hole, and two bogeys on the front nine.
On the back nine, however, she excelled, recording four birdies and no bogeys to finish 4 over par.
Senior Karolina Vlckova shot 4 over par following five birdies, two bogeys and two double bogeys.
Freshman Carolina Ricolfi carded four bogeys and three birdies en route to a 4-over-par performance.
“We always want to win, and we are not satisfied with fourth,” Glaser said. “But it sure is exciting to see this team in action. They are so very talented. We have a lot of exciting times ahead of us.”
The final tournament of the Fall season for the Gators is the Stanford Intercollegiate starting on Oct. 14.
Contact Jake Dreilinger at jdreilinger@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @DreilingerJake.
Alejandro Tosti follows through on a swing at the 2016 SunTrust Gator Invitational at the Mark Bostick Golf Course.
