Florida Gators
Dick's Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup
Ryan Orr Shines on Opening Day of DICK’S Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge
Saturday, September 26, 2015 | Men's Golf
University of Florida junior men's golfer Ryan Orr's second-round -3 (68) led the Gators' march up the leaderboard after a slow first-round start at the DICK'S Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup on Friday. As a team, Florida made significant improvements in Round 2 to finish the day tied for fifth place with a 4-over 572.
The Orange and Blue opened the event tied for ninth place after posting a 7-over 291 in Round 1. However, UF recovered by shooting 10 strokes better, -3 (281), in the second round, with every Gator improving on his Round 1 score by at least two shots.
Orr eagled the par-5 seventh hole en route to posting a first-round -1 (70). He's tied for third overall with a 4-under 138 and is joined in the top 25 by a pair of UF freshmen, Sam Horsfield and Jorge Garcia.
Horsfield shot 1 (72) in Round 1 before birdieing six holes in the second round. He finished with a Round 2 score of 1-under 70 and is tied for 16th with an even-par 142. Meanwhile, Garcia is tied for 25th entering Round 3 with a 2-over 144 (73-71).
Sophomore Ryan Celano shot rounds of 76-74 to wrap up the day at 8 (150). Freshman Gordon Neale showed the most improvement on the squad, recording rounds of 79-72 to total a 9-over 151.
Virginia leads the field with a 7-under 561, while Alabama's Robby Shelton holds the top spot on the individual leaderboard with an 8-under 134.
Florida returns to the Golf Club of Tennessee on Saturday for the final round of stroke play. Then, the 12 teams will participate in an SEC-ACC match play contest Sunday to determine the top conference.
Head Coach JC Deacon:
On the team's improvement in Round 2:
"It was really on me this morning. I just didn't have them prepared right. We came out slow for the second week in a row, and that's my fault and is 100 percent on me. We'll be better tomorrow morning, but the guys really stepped it up in the afternoon today. We were very close to a big-time round, so I'm proud of their resilience. They're really coming together and supporting each other, and it's fun to watch."
On Ryan Orr's performance:
"This is why I'm such a big believer in the way our program is set up. Ryan didn't play in the first event, and he came back at our next qualifier and he earned his spot by shooting 14-under par. No one gave him that spot. He didn't ask me to pick him. He earned it. You really can develop a lot of confidence doing that because these guys all understand how good their peers are, and if you can win at home and beat these guys at home, you can beat anyone in the country. Ryan's showing exactly that this week"
The Orange and Blue Crew: Florida Scores After Round 2
T3. Ryan Orr -4 (138)
T16. Sam Horsfield E (142)
T25. Jorge Garcia 2 (144)
T43. Ryan Celano 8 (150)
T45. Gordon Neale 9 (151)
Tournament Field Results: Team Standings After Round 2
1. Virginia -7 (561)
2. Vanderbilt -1 (567)
3. Duke E (568)
4. Florida State 1 (569)
T5. FLORIDA 4 (572)
T5. Georgia 4 (572)
7. Georgia Tech 5 (573)
T8. Alabama 8(576)
T8. Kentucky 8 (576)
10. Clemson 13 (581)
11. Tennessee 17 (585)
12. Louisville 21 (589)
For full results, click here.
Follow the Gators: Live scoring will be available on GolfStat.com. 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, visitGatorZone.com, follow @GatorsGolfon Twitter, follow @gatorsmgolf on Instagram and 'like' the Florida Gators Men's Golfpage on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
