SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Florida men’s golf team knew it had a lot of work to do Saturday in the weather-delayed second round of the NCAA Central Regional at Notre Dame’s Warren Golf Course.
The Gators brought their lunch pails and were enjoying the feast.
When plays was suspended Friday afternoon because of rain and lightning, coach Buddy Alexander’s team found itself in fourth place at 5-over-par, eight strokes behind leader Stanford but just a stroke ahead of an eight-team pack separated by six strokes. With only five teams qualifying after Saturday’s third and final round to the NCAA Finals at the Honors Course near Chattanooga, Tenn., June 1-6, the pressure could have been enormous.
But the Gators responded, finishing off their final holes in a cumulative 4-under. As the golfers started their final round at the par-70, 7,023-yard Warren course, a Ben Crenshaw-Bill Coore design, Florida was back in second place, tied with Florida State at 1-under-par 559, three strokes behind Stanford.
Then as the third round progressed, Florida kept up the chase of the Cardinal and Seminoles. Through 13-16 holes, the five Gators – seniors Tyson Alexander and Tim McKenney, junior Bank Vongvanij, redshirt junior Andres Eschevarria and freshman Phillip Choi – were a combined 2-under-par. That left Florida at 3-under-par for the tournament, five shots behind Stanford, three behind FSU but five shots ahead of Duke and nine shots up on fifth-place Iowa, which had a tenuous hold on the fifth and final spot to advance.
Choi was showing the Gators the way through 36 holes, finishing off a 2-under-par 68 second round for a two-round total of 137. At 142 were Vongvanij (74) and McKenney (70). Echavarria and Alexander were at 3-over-par 143 after rounds of 69 and 73, respectively.