The No. 3 Gators performed well on Day 1 of the Sea Best Invitational, starting in the early morning and finishing late into the afternoon with a hole-in-one, a sweep of the top-three spots and an overall team lead after playing 36 holes on the day.
The team was led by sophomore Gordon Neale, who shot a 4-under (136) through the first two rounds. He holds second place ahead of teammate Alejandro Tosti.
Tosti scored a 68 in both rounds, finishing the day at 4-under and in sole possession of third place. As a team, the Gators shot 8-under, good for first place overall. They hold a one-stroke lead over No.16 North Carolina.
Despite the small separation at the top, no other team was able to shoot under par.
Elsewhere for the Gators, senior Ryan Orr, who was playing as an individual in the field, held the overall lead through two rounds at 7-under. Orr has never won an individual title in his four years at UF, but he was able to card a hole-in-one on the par-3 fifth hole during the second round. From there, Orr went on to shoot a 4-under (66) in the round, the best round of his career. However, because he was playing as an individual in the tournament, his score did not count toward the team’s overall score.
On Day 2, he'll be looking to beat the best finish of his collegiate career, a feat he accomplished last year at this same tournament when he finished fourth.
After a strong first day in Ponte Vedra, Florida, the Gators will tee off today attempting to obtain their first team win of the Spring season.
Contact Justin Ahlum at jahlum@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @justinn_case1.
Ryan Orr swings during Day 1 of the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 14, 2015, at the Mark Bostick Golf Course.
