Florida Gators
NCAA Regional Championship
Florida Men’s Golf Opens NCAA Regional in Second Place
Thursday, May 14, 2015 | Men's Golf
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – University of Florida men's golfers Ryan Celano and A.J. Crouch each fired rounds of 3-under 69 to lead the team to second place on the opening day of the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional Championship.
As a team, Florida shot 7-under 281. Celano's -3 (69) marked the freshman's best 18-hole score as a Gator, and he and Crouch are tied for ninth.
J.D. Tomlinson posted yet another solid round, shooting -2 (70) to tie for 13th. Ryan Orr contributed a 1-over 73, while Eric Banks carded a 6-over 78.
With a score of 13-under 275, Charlotte sits atop the team leaderboard. In the individual contest, North Carolina's William Register leads the 75-player field with a 6-under 66.
Florida returns to the UNC Finley Golf Course on Friday for the second round of the NCAA Regional Championship. Tee times begin at 8 a.m. The low five teams and the low individual from a non-advancing team following Saturday's third and final round will advance to the NCAA Championship.
Head Coach JC Deacon:
On Ryan Celano's contribution:
“Obviously, the score was really great, but this started about eight days ago, when he found out Alejandro (Tosti) probably wasn't going to be able to play because of the sickness. Ryan's dedication, although it was good all year, went to another level, and that preparation paid off for him today. I'm really happy that his hard work showed today.”
On the team's Round 1 performance:
“To be honest, I'm not really surprised at all about how they played. They played great, but all of these guys have been working really hard and dedicating their time and their lives to each other and to the team. I'm happy for them, but this isn't the end. We have a lot to accomplish and a lot to play for, so it's fun to be where we are right now, and we're just going to keep working hard and doing all of the things we can control.”
The Orange and Blue Crew:
| NCAA Chapel Hill Regional Championship – Florida Players After Round 1 | ||
| Place | Player | Score |
| T9. | -3 (69) | |
| T9. | -3 (69) | |
| T13. | -2 (70) | |
| T30. | +1 (73) | |
| T69. | +6 (78) | |
Tournament Field Results:
| NCAA Chapel Hill Regional Championship – Team Scores after Round 1 | ||
| Place | Team | Score |
| 1. | Charlotte | -13 (275) |
| 2. | FLORIDA | -7 (281) |
| T3. | Clemson | -4 (284) |
| T3. | Florida State | -4 (284) |
| 5. | North Carolina | -2 (286) |
| 6. | Kennesaw State | -1 (287) |
| 7. | Stanford | +2 (290) |
| T8. | GRU Augusta | +4 (292) |
| T8. | Penn State | +4 (292) |
| 10. | Wake Forest | +6 (294) |
| 11. | McNeese State | +8 (296) |
| 12. | Miami (OH) | +9 (297) |
| 13. | Loyola University – Maryland | +12 (300) |
| NCAA Chapel Hill Regional Championship – Individual Top 10 after Round 1 | ||
| Place | Player (School) | Score |
| 1. | William Register (North Carolina) | -6 (66) |
| 2. | Billy Kennerly (Clemson) | -5 (67) |
| T3. | Ashton Van Horne (Belmont) | -4 (68) |
| T3. | Seth Gandy (Charlotte) | -4 (68) |
| T3. | Raoul Menard (Charlotte) | -4 (68) |
| T3. | Victor Wiggins (Charlotte) | -4 (68) |
| T3. | Fredrik Nilehn (Kennesaw State) | -4 (68) |
| T3. | J.T. Poston (Western Carolina) | -4 (68) |
| T9. | Ryan Celano (Florida) | -3 (69) |
| T9. | A.J. Crouch (Florida) | -3 (69) |
| T9. | Hank Lebioda (Florida State) | -3 (69) |
| T9. | Christian Elliot (Penn State) | -3 (69) |
Follow the Gators: NCAA Regional Championship play continues Friday at the UNC Finley Golf Course, where Round 2 tee times begin at 8 a.m. Live scoring will be available on GolfStat.com, and a complete recap with full results will be posted on GatorZone.com following the day's play.
For complete coverage of the Gators' men's golf program, visit GatorZone.com, follow @GatorZoneGolf on Twitter and 'like' the University of Florida Men's Golf page on Facebook.
