Florida Gators
Chris Schenkel Invitational
Gators Tied for Second After Round One at Schenkel
Saturday, March 17, 2012 | Men's Golf
The University of Florida men's golf team fired a first round 280 (-8) to sit in a tie for second, 12 strokes behind Alabama, after the opening day at the Schenkel Invitational at Forest Heights Country Club. For the day, the Gators were led by junior T.J. Vogel (Cooper City, Fla.) and freshman J.D. Tomlinson (Gainesville, Fla.) who both fired opening round 69s (-3), to sit tied for ninth.
“It was a solid day out there for us, but Alabama just played terrific,” said head coach Buddy Alexander. “Hopefully, we can go out tomorrow and play a good round and get right back in the tournament.”
Vogel got off to a quick start on his round carding a birdie on the par-4 first. Vogel then shot six consecutive pars before closing his front nine with a pair of birdies on 8 and 9 to turn in 33 (-3). Vogel dropped a shot at 15 but got it right back with a birdie at 16 before closing with a pair of pars to post his 69.
Tomlinson used a pair of birdies against a bogey to go out in 35 (-1) before making a move on the back nine with two birdies and seven pars for his 69.
Junior Tyler McCumber (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) and freshman Eric Banks (Truro, Canada) each carded 71s for the Orange and Blue. McCumber used two birdies and an eagle on the par-5 seventh against a trio of bogeys, while Banks tallied three birdies against a pair of bogeys, to help round out the Gators' counting scores for the round.
Senior Zach Lee (Ponte Verda, Fla.) rounded out the UF lineup finishing with a 73 (+1)
Competing as an individual, senior Michael Furci (Sayville, N.Y.) had his best round of the season, shooting a two-under 70. Furci, who started on the back, opened with a bogey at the 10th but quickly responded with a birdie at the 11th. Following a string of pars, Furci made a bogey on the par-3 fourth, Furci then went on a tear, making three consecutive birdies and went out in 34 for a first round 70 (-2) and a tie for 14th.
The Gators return to the course tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. Live stats for the round will be available through golfstat.com.
Team Results After Round One
| Place | Team | To Par | Round One Score |
| 1 | Alabama | -20 | 268 |
| T2 | Florida | -8 | 280 |
| T2 | Ole Miss | -8 | 280 |
| 4 | Auburn | -6 | 282 |
| 5 | Virginia | -5 | 283 |
| T6 | Kentucky | -2 | 286 |
| T6 | UNF | -2 | 286 |
| T6 | UAB | -2 | 286 |
| 9 | Notre Dame | +1 | 289 |
| 10 | South Carolina | +5 | 293 |
| 11 | Georgia Southern | +8 | 296 |
| 12 | Minnesota | +12 | 300 |
| 13 | NC State | +13 | 301 |
| 14 | Vanderbilt | +16 | 304 |
Top 10 Individuals After Round One
| Place | Player (School) | To Par | Round One Score |
| 1 | Ben Kohles (UVa) | -7 | 65 |
| T2 | Blayne Barber (Auburn) | -6 | 66 |
| T2 | Joe David (Ole Miss) | -6 | 66 |
| T2 | Justin Thomas (Alabama) | -6 | 66 |
| T2 | Bobby Wyatt (Alabama) | -6 | 66 |
| 6 | Cory Whitsett (Alabama) | -5 | 67 |
| T7 | Blake Morris (Ole Miss) | -4 | 68 |
| T7 | Ben Rusch (UVa) | -4 | 68 |
Florida Results After Round One
| Place | Player | To Par | Round One Score |
| T9 | T.J. Vogel | -3 | 69 |
| T9 | J.D. Tomlinson | -3 | 69 |
| T18 | Eric Banks | -1 | 71 |
| T18 | Tyler McCumber | -1 | 71 |
| T36 | Zach Lee | +1 | 73 |
| T14 | Michael Furci* | -2 | 70 |
