SEA ISLAND, Ga. – This year’s men’s golf team has even Florida head coach Buddy Alexander scratching his head.
“This team is hard to figure out,” Alexander said after the second round of the SEC Men’s Championship at the Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course saw Florida fall four spots into a tie for sixth place. “I’m not sure if it’s mental toughness or what exactly but we haven’t found any consistency. We had a solid day yesterday but couldn’t come up with the same today.”
After totaling 280 on Friday, the Gators combined for a 12-over 292 Saturday for a 36-hole total of 572 that left them trailing Georgia by 12 strokes heading into Sunday’s final round.
For the second straight day, the Gators were led by redshirt junior Andres Echavarria, who carded a 2-over-par 72 and was tied for eighth place at 1-over 141. Echavarria had two bogeys and a birdie on his first nine holes and then had three bogeys and two birdies on his final nine holes.
Junior Bank Vongvanij also carded a 72 that left him tied for 15th place at 2-over-par 142. Vongvanij opened his second round with back-to-back birdies before making a double bogey on No. 4. He finished his first nine holes positively with a birdie to enter the turn at one-under par. Vongvanij struggled somewhat in his back nine, sandwiching a double bogey on 12 with two bogeys on 11 and 13. He made a final birdie on hole 15.
Senior Tyson Alexander and freshman Phillip Choi carded identical second-round scores of 75. Alexander is tied for 32nd at 5-over-par 145, while Choi is just one stroke behind him at 146, good for a tie for 38th place.
Senior Tim McKenney rounded out Florida’s lineup after improving upon his first round score by two strokes with a 73 that left him tied for 46th at 148.
The Bulldogs, who were sixth after the first round, totaled 3-under-par 277 and had a four-stroke lead over Arkansas, which totaled 6-over 286 and was at 564, four strokes up on Tennessee. The individual leaderboard is led by South Carolina’s George Bryan IV and Alabama’s Hunter Hamrick at 4-under-par 136. Bryan carded a 4-under 66 while Hamrick shot 67.
SEC MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
At par-70, 6,991-yard Sea Island (Ga.) Golf Club, Seaside Course
TEAM SCORES: 1. Georgia 560 (283-277) E; 2. Arkansas 564 (278-286) +4; 3. Tennessee 568 (283-285) +8; 4. South Carolina 570 (282-288) +10; 5. Louisiana State 571 (283-288) +11; 6. (tie) Florida 572 (280-292) +12, Auburn 572 (280-292) +12, Kentucky 572 (296-276) +12, Mississippi 572 (288-284) +12; 10. Mississippi State 574 (282-292) +14; 11. Vanderbilt 582 (284-298) +22; 12. Alabama 586 (297-289) +26.
TOP 25 (and ties) SCORES: 1. (tie) George Bryan IV (South Carolina 136 (70-66) -4 and Hunter Hamrick (Alabama) 136 (69-67) -4; 3. (tie) Russell Henley (Georgia) 137 (70-67) -3 and Jonathan Randolph (Mississippi) 137 (69-68) -3; 5. (tie) Andrew Loupe (Louisiana State) 138 (70-68) -2 and Bryden Macpherson (Georgia) 138 (67-71) -2; 7. David Lingmerth (Arkansas) 139 (70-69) -1; 8. (tie) Andres Echavarria (Florida) 141 (69-72) +1, Austin Cook (Arkansas) 141 (69-72) +1, Harris English (Georgia) 141 (73-68) +1, Ben Fuqua (Kentucky) 141 (73-68) +1, Lee Heaton (Mississippi State) 141 (69-72) +1, Dalton Owens (Arkansas) 141 (67-74) +1 and Chase Parker (Kentucky) 141 (73-68) +1; 15. (tie) Bank Vongvanij (Florida) 142 (70-72) +2, Brad Mason (Mississippi State) 142 (71-71) +2, Will McCurdy (Auburn) 142 (69-73) +2, Cole Moreland (Auburn) 142 (69-73) +2, Garrick Porteous (Tennessee) 142 (70-72) +2, Paul Woodbury (South Carolina) 142 (70-72) +2 and David Zickler (Auburn) 142 (70-72) +2; 22. (tie) Hudson Johnson (Vanderbilt) 143 (70-73) +3 and Robin Wingardh (Tennessee) 143 (69-74) +3; 24. (tie) Jordan Blann (Kentucky) 144 (74-70) +4, Trey DelGreco (Vanderbilt) 144 (68-76) +4, David Holmes (Tennessee) 144 (71-73) +4, Evan Hugall (Mississippi State) 144 (70-74) +4, Jamie Marshall (Arkansas) 144 (73-71) +4, John Peterson (Louisiana State) 144 (70-74) +4, Darren Renwick (Tennessee) 144 (73-71) +4 and Jay Vandeventer (Tennessee) 144 (75-69) +4.
FLORIDA SCORES: T8. Andres Echavarria 141 (69-72) +1; T15. Bank Vongvanij 142 (70-72) +2; T32. Tyson Alexander 145 (70-75) +5; T38. Phillip Choi 146 (71-75) +6; T46. Tim McKenney 148 (75-73) +8.