Saturday, April 2
Franklin, TN
All Day
Florida Gators
at
Mason Rudolph Championship
Gordon Neale closed his second round with three consecutive birdies.
Neale Leads Mason Rudolph Championship
Saturday, April 2, 2016 | Men's Golf
FRANKLIN, Tenn. – University of Florida freshman Gordon Neale fired a 4-under 138 on the opening day of the Mason Rudolph Championship Saturday to take a two-stroke individual lead. His efforts, coupled with two under-par rounds from freshman Sam Horsfield, who is currently in second place, helped the No. 7 Gators card the lowest Round 2 score and move into second place.
After finishing the first round in third place with a 1-under 283, the Orange and Blue posted a 2-over 286 in the afternoon to jump ahead of Alabama and narrow leader Vanderbilt's advantage from eight strokes to three.
Neale's rounds of 70-68 were highlighted by a strong finish in which he recorded three birdies over his final three holes. His score of 3-under 68 marks his best round as a Gator, as his play had been limited to two other tournaments this year due to an injury.
Two strokes back of the lead, Horsfield shot rounds of 70-70 to complete the day tied for second with a total of 2-under 140. He eagled the par-5 14th hole in Round 1 and the par-5 6th in Round 2, becoming the only golfer in the 78-player field to collect multiple eagles at the Vanderbilt Legends Club on Saturday.
Freshman Jorge Garcia joined the Gator duo in the top 20, shooting rounds of 72-74 to tie for 20th with a total of 4-over 146.
Final round tee times for the Mason Rudolph Championship begin at 8 a.m. C.T. on Sunday, with the Gators scheduled to begin teeing off at 9:30 a.m.
Head Coach JC Deacon
On the team's performance in the opening rounds:
"The conditions were really difficult. It was windy all day and was really cold until about 1 p.m., and our guys just kind of hung around all day. Sam (Horsfield) and Gordon (Neale) obviously led us scoring-wise, but all five guys contributed. It was just a really, really good team effort."
On Gordon Neale:
"To be honest, this is probably one of the greatest moments that has ever happened to me as a coach today. Gordon Neale was one of the best junior golfers in the country and made some sacrifices to come to Florida. From his standards, I'm sure he's looked at this as a terrible year, but he never complained to me or (associate head coach) John (Handrigan) once. He never asked for anything. He always wanted to earn it, and to see him go out there and do what he did today is just one of the coolest things that's ever happened to me. I'm so happy for him. I'm so proud of him. He's really worked hard through some incredible obstacles, and I hope he goes out and wins it tomorrow."
The Orange and Blue Crew: Florida Scores After Round 2
1. Gordon Neale -4 (70-68=138)
T2. Sam Horsfield -2 (70-70=140)
T20. Jorge Garcia +4 (72-74=146)
T28. Ryan Orr +5 (73-74=147)
T36. Alejandro Tosti +7 (71-78=149)
Tournament Field Results: Team Standings After Round 2
1. Vanderbilt -2 (566)
2. FLORIDA +1 (569)
3. Alabama +5 (573)
4. Lamar +15 (583)
5. East Tennessee State +19 (587)
6. SMU +20 (588)
7. UAB +21 (589)
8. Memphis +23 (591)
9. Liberty +28 (596)
10. Rice +30 (598)
11. Ball State +32 (600)
12. West Virginia +34 (602)
13. Middle Tennessee State +39 (607)
14. Samford +44 (612)
Follow the Gators: Live scoring will be available on GolfStat.com. A complete recap with full results will be posted on FloridaGators.com following the day's play.
Official Website: FloridaGators.com
Facebook: Florida Gators Men's Golf
Twitter: @GatorsGolf
Instagram: @GatorsMGolf
After finishing the first round in third place with a 1-under 283, the Orange and Blue posted a 2-over 286 in the afternoon to jump ahead of Alabama and narrow leader Vanderbilt's advantage from eight strokes to three.
Neale's rounds of 70-68 were highlighted by a strong finish in which he recorded three birdies over his final three holes. His score of 3-under 68 marks his best round as a Gator, as his play had been limited to two other tournaments this year due to an injury.
Two strokes back of the lead, Horsfield shot rounds of 70-70 to complete the day tied for second with a total of 2-under 140. He eagled the par-5 14th hole in Round 1 and the par-5 6th in Round 2, becoming the only golfer in the 78-player field to collect multiple eagles at the Vanderbilt Legends Club on Saturday.
Freshman Jorge Garcia joined the Gator duo in the top 20, shooting rounds of 72-74 to tie for 20th with a total of 4-over 146.
Final round tee times for the Mason Rudolph Championship begin at 8 a.m. C.T. on Sunday, with the Gators scheduled to begin teeing off at 9:30 a.m.
Head Coach JC Deacon
On the team's performance in the opening rounds:
"The conditions were really difficult. It was windy all day and was really cold until about 1 p.m., and our guys just kind of hung around all day. Sam (Horsfield) and Gordon (Neale) obviously led us scoring-wise, but all five guys contributed. It was just a really, really good team effort."
On Gordon Neale:
"To be honest, this is probably one of the greatest moments that has ever happened to me as a coach today. Gordon Neale was one of the best junior golfers in the country and made some sacrifices to come to Florida. From his standards, I'm sure he's looked at this as a terrible year, but he never complained to me or (associate head coach) John (Handrigan) once. He never asked for anything. He always wanted to earn it, and to see him go out there and do what he did today is just one of the coolest things that's ever happened to me. I'm so happy for him. I'm so proud of him. He's really worked hard through some incredible obstacles, and I hope he goes out and wins it tomorrow."
The Orange and Blue Crew: Florida Scores After Round 2
1. Gordon Neale -4 (70-68=138)
T2. Sam Horsfield -2 (70-70=140)
T20. Jorge Garcia +4 (72-74=146)
T28. Ryan Orr +5 (73-74=147)
T36. Alejandro Tosti +7 (71-78=149)
Tournament Field Results: Team Standings After Round 2
1. Vanderbilt -2 (566)
2. FLORIDA +1 (569)
3. Alabama +5 (573)
4. Lamar +15 (583)
5. East Tennessee State +19 (587)
6. SMU +20 (588)
7. UAB +21 (589)
8. Memphis +23 (591)
9. Liberty +28 (596)
10. Rice +30 (598)
11. Ball State +32 (600)
12. West Virginia +34 (602)
13. Middle Tennessee State +39 (607)
14. Samford +44 (612)
Follow the Gators: Live scoring will be available on GolfStat.com. A complete recap with full results will be posted on FloridaGators.com following the day's play.
Official Website: FloridaGators.com
Facebook: Florida Gators Men's Golf
Twitter: @GatorsGolf
Instagram: @GatorsMGolf
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