Florida Gators
Puerto Rico Classic
Men's Golf in Second-Place After Day One at Puerto Rico Classic
Monday, February 28, 2005 | Men's Golf
The No. 18 University of Florida men's golf team continued its hot streak as it fired a nine-under par opening round score of 279 on Sunday at the 2005 Puerto Rico Classic hosted by Purdue University on the Westin Rio Mar golf course.
"We had a very solid round today," Head Coach Buddy Alexander said. "Most of it was because of James Vargas, but it was a good day to play and it wasn't as windy as it can be here sometimes."
Junior James Vargas (Miami, Fla.) fired his best single round as a Gator and the fourth-best round in relation to par in UF history since 1981-82 by carding a seven-under par score of 65 to lead the field after the first round.
"It was nice to see James play so well today," Alexander said. "It was by far his best round as a Gator and he is very capable of playing this well all the time. He is in a real good state of mind and putted very well today. His putting has improved over the last few months and he has been striking the ball better."
Continuing his solid play this spring, junior Brett Stegmaier (Madison, Conn.) carded a two-under par opening-round score of 70 to finish in a tie for 13th-place entering the second round of play.
The junior duo of Ryan Cochran (Paducah, Ky.) and Matt Every (Daytona Beach, Fla.) finished the first day of play tied for 30th-place by carding an even par score of 72.
Redshirt senior transfer Richard Treis (Baden-Baden, Germany) wrapped up his first round of play by firing a four-over par score of 76 to sit in a tie for 66th-place respectively.
The 2005 Puerto Rico Classic continues tomorrow through Tuesday, March 1 with 18 holes scheduled for the remaining two days of play at the River Course of the Westin Rio Mar Golf Course in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
Team Results:
| Place | School | Score | Over/Under Par |
| 1. | Georgia | 278 | -10 |
| 2. | Florida | 279 | -9 |
| T3. | Clemson | 280 | -8 |
| T3. | Georgia Tech | 280 | -8 |
| 5. | Oklahoma State | 282 | -6 |
| 6. | Arizona State | 284 | -4 |
| 7. | North Carolina State | 286 | -2 |
| 8. | Oklahoma | 287 | -1 |
| 9. | Alabama | 289 | +1 |
| 10. | Duke | 292 | +4 |
| 11. | East Tennessee State | 293 | +5 |
| 12. | Purdue | 295 | +7 |
| 13. | Minnesota | 296 | +8 |
| 14. | Illinois | 299 | +11 |
| T15. | Michigan | 300 | +12 |
| T15. | Northwestern | 300 | +12 |
| T17. | Kent State | 301 | +13 |
| T17. | Virginia Tech | 301 | +13 |
Florida Results:
| Place | Name | Score | Under/Over Par |
| 1 | James Vargas | 65 | -7 |
| T13 | Brett Stegmaier | 70 | -2 |
| T30 | Ryan Cochran | 72 | E |
| T30 | Matt Every | 72 | E |
| T66 | Richard Treis | 76 | +4 |
-UF-
