Gators Finish Fourth at Schenkel E-Z-Go Invite

Sunday, March 22

Statesboro, GA

12:00 AM

Florida Gators

Chris Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational

Gators Finish Fourth at Schenkel E-Z-Go Invite

Sunday, March 22, 2009 | Men's Golf

The University of Florida men's golf team shot a final-round 291 (+3) on Sunday to finish in fourth place at the 2009 Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational in Statesboro, Ga. Senior Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) shot a 69 (-3) and finished in a six-way tie for fourth place along with junior Tim McKenney (Scottsdale, Ariz.).

“It was disappointing to get so close and not win,” said head coach Buddy Alexander. “It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. We didn't perform very well on the last nine holes, and we had to count a high score today, which ultimately was a disappointment.”

Florida finished with a 54-hole total of 870 (+6), five strokes behind South Carolina, who shot two-under par 286 on Sunday to win by two strokes. The Gators entered the day in a tie for first, but Horschel was the only player to shoot under-par in the final round.

McKenney birdied his first hole on Sunday, but it would be his only birdie of the day and he entered the clubhouse with a 74 (+2). Horschel and McKenney tied for fourth with a three-day total of 214 (-2).

Junior Tyson Alexander (Gainesville, Fla.) shot even-par 72 on Sunday, and moved up eight spots on the leader board to finish in a tie for 32nd at four-over par 220 for the tournament.

Senior Will Strickler (Charlottesville, Va.) fired a 76 (+4) on Sunday to round out the team score. Strickler finished in a tie for 74th with a three-day total of 228 (+12). Freshman Mu Hu (Shen Zhen, China) shot a 77 (+5) and ended the tournament in a tie for 77th at 13-over par 229.

N.C. State's Matt Hill took home the individual medal after firing his second-straight 69 (-3) to finish at seven-under par 209.

“Tim played under a lot of pressure today and had a chance to win,” said Coach Alexander. “The team had an opportunity to get a taste of battling for a team title away from home in a close contest. We didn't handle it as well as I would have liked, but it was a great learning experience and we'll keep building and be ready for the end of the season.”

Up next for the Gators is the prestigious U.S. Collegiate Championship, hosted by Georgia Tech at the Golf Club of Georgia in Atlanta on April 5-7. Florida will then look to tune up for postseason action, beginning with the SEC Championships April 17-19 in Sea Island, Ga.

Team Results

	School	Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Total	To Par
1	South Carolina	291	288	286	865	+1
T2	Tennessee	287	293	287	867	+3
T2	N.C. State	295	287	285	867	+3
4	FLORIDA	292	287	291	870	+6
5	Kentucky	297	287	291	875	+11
6	Georgia Southern	291	293	292	876	+12
7	North Carolina	302	284	293	879	+15
8	Ole Miss	295	293	293	881	+17
9	Auburn	294	301	287	882	+18
10	North Florida	290	297	297	884	+20
11	Virginia	296	294	295	885	+21
T12	Vanderbilt	296	294	296	886	+22
T12	LSU	296	292	298	886	+22
14	Iowa	302	294	293	889	+25
15	Georgia State	295	297	300	892	+28
16	Oklahoma	293	297	306	896	+32
17	Augusta State	298	293	309	900	+36
18	Notre Dame	311	298	303	912	+48

Individual Top-10

	Player	School	Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Total	To Par
1	Matt Hill	N.C. State	71	69	69	209	-7
2	George Bryan IV	South Carolina	74	70	68	212	-4
3	Jonathan Randolph	Ole Miss	71	73	69	213	-3
T4	Darren Blair	N.C. State	70	72	72	214	-2
T4	Taylor Floyd	Augusta State	69	71	74	214	-2
T4	Billy Horschel	Florida	72	73	69	214	-2
T4	Tim McKenney	Florida	72	68	74	214	-2
T4	Kevin O'Connell	North Carolina	72	74	68	214	-2
T4	Sang Yi	LSU	69	72	73	214	-2
10	Glenn Northcutt	Auburn	69	74	72	215	-1

Florida Results

	Player	Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Total	To Par
T4	Billy Horschel	72	73	69	214	-2
T4	Tim McKenney	72	68	74	214	-2
T32	Tyson Alexander	73	75	72	220	+4
T74	Will Strickler	81	71	76	228	+12
T77	Mu Hu	75	77	77	229	+13