Florida Gators
Chris Schenkel Invitational
Men's Golf Earns Fifth-Place Finish At Chris Schenkel Invitational
Sunday, March 18, 2007 | Men's Golf
The third-ranked University of Florida men's golf team fired a six-over 294 on Sunday in the final round of the E-Z-GO Chris Schenkel Invitational, and finished fifth with a 54-hole total of 881 (+17). The showing marks the Gators' seventh top-five effort of the season.
“Today was more of the same play we've seen all weekend,” Florida head coach Buddy Alexander said. “We weren't horrible, but there weren't a lot of good things that came out of it. We're in a bit of a funk right now, and we may be pressing to get out of it. If our guys can get back to playing with some freedom, I think we'll get this thing righted.”
Freshman Tim McKenney (Scottsdale, Ariz.) narrowly missed his first career top-10 finish, but led the way for the Gators with an even-par final round that helped him tie for 11th place. He used birdies on two of his last three holes to post a tournament total of 217 (+1), and finished the event with 11 birdies on his card. The 11th-place tie is McKenney's best collegiate finish, besting a tie for 18th at the Preview Invitational.
“It was nice to see some good play from a guy in the fourth or fifth spot in our lineup,” Alexander said. “We've been searching for that, and Tim gave us a solid round today and a good tournament.”
Sophomores Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) and Toby Ragland (Jacksonville, Fla.) also had productive days for the Gators on Sunday. Horschel secured a top-20 finish with a four-over round of 76 that earned him a share of 17th place with a three-round total of 218 (+2). The performance marked the 18th time in his collegiate career that Horschel has landed among a tournament's top-20 at the end of competition. Ragland, meanwhile, tied McKenney for the low Florida round of the day with a 72 (E). Sunday's round was his best of the tournament by five strokes, and moved him from a tie for 74th into a share of 47th.
Florida also got a solid round from junior Tyler Brown (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.), who took his round out and brought it home with identical scores of 37, leading to a two-over 74 on the day. He finished the tournament with a total of 223 (+7) that was good for a 34th-place tie. Fellow junior Manuel Villegas (Medellin, Colombia) closed out the tournament with a final-round 77, finishing in a tie for 58th with a score of 228 (+12).
The top five spots at the Schenkel Invitational were claimed by Southeastern Conference teams, led by winner Georgia (854, -10). The Bulldogs' Chris Kirk took home the individual medal with a six-under score of 210, while six SEC players earned spots in the individual top-10.
UF will take a three-week break before returning to action on April 9 at the U.S. Collegiate Championship in Atlanta. Georgia Tech will host the three-day event at the Golf Club of Georgia.
Final Team Scores
| Place | School | Score |
| 1. | Georgia | 287-277-290 = 854 (-10) |
| 2. | Alabama | 292-288-280 = 860 (-4) |
| 3. | Auburn | 289-293-286 = 868 (+4) |
| 4. | South Carolina | 295-283-296 = 874 (+10) |
| 5. | FLORIDA | 290-297-294 = 881 (+17) |
| 6. | Texas A&M | 298-293-295 = 886 (+22) |
| 7. | Georgia Southern | 302-297-288 = 887 (+23) |
| 8. | Augusta State | 298-287-303 = 888 (+24) |
| 9. | New Mexico | 299-293-297 = 889 (+25) |
| 10. | Tennessee | 297-302-291 = 890 (+26) |
| 11. | Arizona | 306-284-301 = 891 (+27) |
| 12. | North Carolina | 302-293-301 = 896 (+32) |
| 13. | LSU | 300-294-303 = 897 (+33) |
| 14. | Michigan State | 301-293-304 = 898 (+34) |
| 15. | Ohio State | 298-302-303 = 903 (+39) |
| 16. | Kentucky | 304-298-305 = 907 (+43) |
| 17. | Minnesota | 299-297-314 = 910 (+46) |
| 18. | North Carolina State | 311-297-303 = 911 (+47) |
Individual Top-10
| Place | Player | Score |
| 1. | Chris Kirk (Georgia) | 70-68-72 = 210 (-6) |
| 2. | Brendon Todd (Georgia) | 73-68-71 = 212 (-4) |
| 3. | Michael Thompson (Alabama) | 71-73-69 = 213 (-3) |
| T4. | Adam Mitchell (Georgia) | 74-69-72 = 215 (-1) |
| T4. | Baker Elmore (South Carolina) | 72-69-74 = 215 (-1) |
| T4. | Matt Harmon (Michigan State) | 72-70-73 = 215 (-1) |
| T7. | Bronson Burgoon (Texas A&M) | 72-72-72 = 216 (E) |
| T7. | Bryan Jones (Georgia Southern) | 75-75-66 = 216 (E) |
| T7. | Major Manning (Augusta State) | 74-67-75 = 216 (E) |
| T7. | Jamie Bowen (Auburn) | 70-74-72 = 216 (E) |
Florida Results
| Place | Player | Score |
| T11. | Tim McKenney | 68-77-72 = 217 (+1) |
| T17. | Billy Horschel | 68-74-76 = 218 (+2) |
| T34. | Tyler Brown | 77-72-74 = 223 (+7) |
| T47. | Toby Ragland | 77-77-72 = 226 (+10) |
| T58. | Manuel Villegas | 77-74-77 = 228 (+12) |
-UF-
