Florida Gators
NCAA Championships
Men's Golf Fourth After NCAA Championship Day Two, Horschel in First
Friday, May 30, 2008 | Men's Golf
Junior Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) is in first place on the individual leaderboard after shooting a five-under 67 in the second round of the 2008 NCAA Championships. Horschel leads the field with a 5-under 139 and the No. 6 University of Florida men's golf team is currently in fourth place with a two-day total of 593 (302-291) (+17) at the Kampen Course. UF currently sits just four shots behind tournament leader Clemson (589, +13).
“I am not surprised at all with Billy's performance in the last two days,” UF head coach Buddy Alexander said. “However, you can't expect someone to go out and always play great golf. He hasn't putted quite as well for us this year as in years past, but I think he is a better player now than he was a year ago. He started playing better in Columbus and has played great through the regionals and these last two rounds. I had a feeling that he would play well for us and he certainly has. He is an All-American, big-time player and those types of players usually step up in big events and that is what Billy is doing.”
Horschel led the Gators for the second consecutive day, making seven birdies, including five in the last nine holes. The three time All-SEC golfer now has 105 birdies and has shot at or under par in 19 rounds so far this season.
Sophomore Tyson Alexander (Gainesville, Fla.) had another solid outing for the Gators, shooting two strokes over par. His 74 for the second round gives him a total 149 (+5), good for a tie for 24th. Alexander collected 11 pars, three birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey in just his first NCAA Championship. Also shooting a two-over 74 was junior Will Strickler (Charlottesville, Va.). Strickler is currently tied for 63rd with a 9-over 153.
Senior Tyler Brown (Jacksonville, Fla.) improved his first round score by seven strokes on Wednesday. After scoring an 11-over 83 on Wednesday, Brown rebounded with a second round score of 76 (+4). His two-day score of 159 (+15) lands him in a tie for 122nd place.
Senior Manuel Villegas (Medellin, Colombia) rounds out the UF squad in a tie for 96th place. The senior shot an 8-over 80 to bring his total score to 156 after two rounds.
Florida will tee off at 7:20 a.m. ET alongside Oklahoma State and Washington. Tee times for Saturday's final round will be based on Friday's results. Live tournament scoring can be followed at www.Golfstat.com and www.Gatorzone.com.
Team Scores After Round 1
| Place | School | Score |
| 1. | Clemson | 301-288 (+13) |
| 2. | UCLA | 297-293 (+14) |
| 3. | Southern California | 297-294 (+15) |
| 4. | Florida | 302-291 (+17) |
| 5. | Oklahoma State | 298-296 (+18) |
| 6. | Washington | 305-290 (+19) |
| 7. | Georgia | 303-293 (+20) |
| 8. | Stanford | 309-288 (+21) |
| 9. | Kent State | 301-297 (+22) |
| 10. | Charlotte | 306-295 (+25) |
| 11. | Middle Tennessee St. | 309-293 (+26) |
| 12. | Texas A&M | 309-294 (+27) |
| T13. | Illinois | 302-302 (+28) |
| T13. | Arizona State | 311-293 (+28) |
| 15. | Alabama | 309-297 (+30) |
| 16. | Louisville | 311-296 (+31) |
| 17. | UAB | 311-297 (+32) |
| 18. | Auburn | 306-304 (+34) |
| T19. | East Tennessee State | 313-300 (+37) |
| T19. | Penn State | 315-298 (+37) |
| T19. | San Diego State | 310-303 (+37) |
| 22. | UC Irvine | 320-297 (+41) |
| 23. | Wake Forest | 314-304 (+42) |
| T24. | Oregon | 315-304 (+43) |
| T24. | Virginia | 312-307 (+43) |
| 26. | Texas | 311-309 (+44) |
| T27. | Indiana | 313-310 (+47) |
| T27. | Mississippi State | 326-297 (+47) |
| 29. | Augusta State | 326-308 (+58) |
| 30. | Saint Mary's | 333-309 (+66) |
Individual Top 10 Through Round 1
| Place | Player (School) | Score |
| 1. | Billy Horschel (Florida) | 72-67 (-5) |
| 2. | Kyle Stanley (Clemson) | 72-68 (-4) |
| 3. | Nick Taylor (Washington) | 75-66 (-3) |
| T4. | Kevin Chappell (UCLA) | 69-73 (-2) |
| T4. | Hudson Swafford (Georgia) | 73-69 (-2) |
| 6. | Tim Sluiter (Southern California) | 70-73 (-1) |
| 7. | Joel Sjoholm (Georgia State) | 72-72 (E) |
| T8. | Jorge Campillo (Indiana) | 75-70 (+1) |
| T8. | Chris DeForest (Illinois) | 75-70 (+1) |
Florida Results After Round 1
| Place | Player | Score |
| 1. | Billy Horschel | 72-67 (-5) |
| T24. | Tyson Alexander | 75–74 (+5) |
| T63. | Will Strickler | 79-74 (+9) |
| T96. | Manuel Villegas | 76-80 (+12) |
| T122. | Tyler Brown | 83-76 (+15) |
-UF-
