Florida Gators
Hootie @ Bulls Bay Invite
Ragland Leads No. 9 UF Men's Golf To Fourth Place At Hootie At Bulls Bay
Tuesday, March 25, 2008 | Men's Golf
Junior Toby Ragland (Jacksonville, Fla.) recorded his best finish of the season with a tie for 10th place as the No. 9 University of Florida men's golf team captured fourth place at the Hootie At Bulls Bay Invitational on Tuesday.
The Gators recorded their lowest round of the tournament with a 3-under 281 in the final round. UF finished at 1-under 851 and was one of four teams to record cumulative under-par scores at the par-71 Bulls Bay Golf Club. North Carolina State ran away from the field to win the event behind a 13-under 271 on Tuesday. The Wolfpack was 12 shots better than second-place Clemson and South Carolina, who finished at 2-under.
Florida's 1-under total was 10 shots ahead of fifth-place Virginia Tech and Lamar. It represented the second straight tournament and fourth this season the Gators have finished a tournament under par. UF was second at 8-under at the Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational on March 16.
“I was a little disappointed,” UF head coach Buddy Alexander said. “I thought we played hard, but we couldn't make up any ground. North Carolina State played some great golf this week. We are making progress toward postseason but must get more consistent.”
Ragland fired a season-low 68 (-3) to jump nine spots to a tie for 10th place with South Carolina's Patrick Cunning and Augusta State's Keith Guest. Ragland's final round put him at 1-under 212 for the tournament, giving him his second event under par this season.
“I was really proud of Toby,” Alexander said. “It is nice to see him get into the lineup and play well this week. The other four guys played solidly as well.”
Ragland played his first 14 holes at 5-under with five birdies and no bogeys. He began his run at red figures at the par-5 second hole and followed it up with another birdie on the par-4 fourth. A three on the ninth hole closed his front nine at 3-under, and he continued the momentum with birdies on 10 and 14. Back-to-back bogeys on holes 15 and 16 dropped him back to 3-under, but he recorded two pars on the way home.
North Carolina State's Matt Hill followed up a round of 67 with a 66 to claim the individual medal at 9-under 204 overall. He finished two shots ahead of second place.
Senior Tyler Brown (Jacksonville, Fla.) was the other Gator to register a round in the 60s on Tuesday. Brown birdied his first two holes en route to a 2-under 69 that put him at 1-over 214 overall and a tie for 19th place with two of his teammates.
Senior Manuel Villegas (Medellin, Colombia) posted an even-par 71 to finish at 214 as well. Sophomore Tyson Alexander (Gainesville, Fla.) had some early struggles with a nine on the par-5 second, but he responded beyond his years with five birdies in his final 11 holes to finish in 19th at 1-over. Alexander carded threes on holes eight and nine before draining a putt for his third straight birdie on the par-five 10th.
Junior Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.), who entered the final 18 holes in a tie for 23rd, finished in a tie for 35th place following a final-round 74. Horschel had two birdies on his round to five bogeys that left him at 6-over 219 overall.
The Hootie At Bulls Bay Invitational was the final regular-season tournament for the Gators. UF takes on Florida State in a 36-hole match on Sunday, April 5 in Thomasville, Ga. The match will give the Gators one final competition before heading to the Southeastern Conference Championship, April 18-20, in Sea Island, Ga.
Final Team Scores
| Place | School | Score |
| 1. | North Carolina State | 288-279-271=838 (-14) |
| T2. | Clemson | 285-284-281=850 (-2) |
| T2. | South Carolina | 280-286-284=850 (-2) |
| 4. | Florida | 285-285-281=851 (-1) |
| T5. | Virginia Tech | 290-295-276=861 (+9) |
| T5. | Lamar | 286-294-281=861 (+9) |
| 7. | Auburn | 286-293-286=865 (+13) |
| 8. | UCF | 291-291-284=866 (+14) |
| 9. | Kentucky | 296-297-275=868 (+16) |
| 10. | LSU | 290-295-289=874 (+22) |
| 11. | Augusta State | 284-298-296=878 (+26) |
| T12. | Baylor | 306-291-282=879 (+27) |
| T12. | Wake Forest | 291-297-291=879 (+27) |
| 14. | Coll. of Charleston | 291-300-291=882 (+30) |
| 15. | Duke | 294-301-290=885 (+33) |
Final Individual Top 5
| Place | Player (School) | Score |
| 1. | Matt Hill (North Carolina State) | 71-67-66=204 (-9) |
| 2. | Jurrian van der Vaart (Virginia Tech) | 70-71-65=206 (-7) |
| T3. | Justin Harding (Lamar) | 67-74-67=208 (-5) |
| T3. | Phillip Mollica (Clemson) | 69-71-68=208 (-5) |
| T5. | Darren Blair (North Carolina State) | 74-69-67=210 (-3) |
| T5. | Kyle Stanley (Clemson) | 71-69-70=210 (-3) |
Final Florida Results
| Place | Player | Score |
| T10. | Toby Ragland | 73-71-68=212 (-1) |
| T19. | Tyler Brown | 70-75-69=214 (+1) |
| T19. | Manuel Villegas | 72-72-71=214 (+1) |
| T19. | Tyson Alexander | 71-70-73=214 (+1) |
| T35. | Billy Horschel | 72-73-74=219 (+6) |
