Neale Leads Florida in Round 2 of NCAA Championship

Saturday, May 28

Eugene, OR

All Day

Florida Gators

NCAA Championship

Freshman Gordon Neale posted the second-lowest round of the day among all 156 golfers.

Neale Leads Florida in Round 2 of NCAA Championship

Saturday, May 28, 2016 | Men's Golf

By: Emily Padgett

EUGENE, Ore. – Freshman Gordon Neale fired the second-lowest round of the day to lead the University of Florida men's golf team in Round 2 of the NCAA Championship on Saturday. Neale shot -3 (67) to move up into fourth place entering the third round.

As a team, the Gators carded a 7-over 287 on Saturday afternoon to tie for 12th place. The squad will need remain one of the top 15 teams at the conclusion of Sunday's third round in order to advance to the final round of stroke play.

Sophomore Alejandro Tosti staged a comeback after Friday's 5 (75) to post an ever-par 70. An early eagle on the par-5 fourth hole and a strong front nine fueled his round.

Vanderbilt posted an even-par 280 to take the lead with a two-round total of 3 (563). USC's Justin Suh leads the individual contest at -5 (135) and holds only a two-stroke advantage over Neale (3-under 137).

The Orange and Blue look to secure a spot in Round 4 when it tees off Round 3 on Sunday at 8:50 a.m. PT. Following Sunday's round, the field will be cut to the top 15 teams and top nine individuals on non-advancing teams. Monday will feature a fourth and final round of stroke play to determine the top eight teams advancing to match play, as well as the 72-hole individual champion. The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday, followed by the finals on Wednesday.

Head Coach JC Deacon
On Round 2:
"We shot about the same score both days, but yesterday, I just loved our attitude. We fought hard and hung in there and everyone stayed somewhat patient and calm. That just didn't happen today, for whatever reason. We got off to a great start, and the guys came out on fire on the front nine, and just in the middle of the back nine there, they lost their patience. We weren't very resilient, which is tough to see on such an important day, but we're in pretty good shape after two rounds, and we have two rounds left to show the nation who we are."

Freshman Gordon Neale
On his second round:
"I was just happy with the decisions I was making on the course. I missed a few putts, I pulled a few iron shots, but, in general, I did a really good job of getting it in play off the tee, and from there, this golf course is really scoreable. It's not too long, and the greens are perfect, so I'm just going to try to keep that up over the next two days."

The Orange and Blue Crew: Florida Scores After Round 2
4. Gordon Neale -3 (70-67=137)
T64. Sam Horsfield 5 (70-75=145)
T64. Alejandro Tosti 5 (75-70=145)
T81. Jorge Garcia 6 (71-75=146)
T150. Ryan Orr 15 (75-80=155)

NCAA Championship Results: Team Standings After Round 2
1. Vanderbilt 3 (563)
2. USC 5 (565)
3. Arkansas 6 (566)
T4. Oregon 8 (568)
T4. LSU 8 (568)
6. Alabama 9 (569)
T7. Texas 10 (570)
T7. Illinois 10 (570)
T9. Arizona State 11 (571)
T9. California 11 (571)
11. South Carolina 12 (572)
T12. FLORIDA 13 (573)
T12. Louisville 13 (573)
14. Oklahoma State 14 (574)
T15. Kentucky 15 (575)
T15. Auburn 15 (575)
T15. Georgia 15 (575)
T15. Clemson 15 (575)
T15. San Diego State 15 (575)
T20. Wake Forest 18 (578)
T20. Oklahoma 18 (578)
22. Florida State 19 (579)
23. TCU 21 (581)
24. Houston 23 (583)
25. South Florida 25 (585)
T26. Stanford 26 (586)
T26. Virginia 26 (586)
28. Baylor 29 (589)
29. UAB 39 (599)
30. Purdue 44 (604)
Full leaderboard

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.

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