Gator Country

Senior Bank Vongvanij finished two-over par on Tuesday as Florida sits tied for 14th after the first round of the NCAA Championships / Gator Country photo by Tim Casey

Seniors Bank Vongvanij and Andres Echavarria both finished two-over par on Tuesday to lead the No. 5 Florida men’s golf team into a tie for 14th place after the first round of the NCAA Championships at Karsten Creek Golf Course.

Vongvanij shot even par after the first nine holes, but then made four bogeys to overshadow two birdies in the back nine to finish with a 74.

Echavarria made four bogeys against two birdies in the first nine holes and then shot even on the back nine, making one bogey and one birdie, also for a 74.

“This team has putted pretty well all year long,” head coach Buddy Alexander said. “Today was one of the worst putting exhibitions I’ve ever seen and from that standpoint, it was very surprising.”

Sophomore Tyler McCumber started the day out well with a birdie on the first hole, but finished one-over par after the front nine holes and made two more bogeys on the back nine.

Sophomores Phillip Choi and Tommy Mou finished with a 77 and 78 respectively.

“I think (our putting) is curable,” Alexander said. “Our strategies weren’t too bad, so I expect us to do better tomorrow.”

The Gators are scheduled to tee off at 8:20 a.m. ET for round two on Wednesday.

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