Gators Men’s Golf Preparing for Postseason

The Florida Gators men’s golf team is heading into the final stretch of their season.

The Gators are currently ranked 24th in the nation and are coming off a sixth place finish at the Gary Koch Invitational in Tampa.

Florida started play in the Fall, participating in four events.  They struggled a bit as a team with two seventh place finishes and a tenth place finish, but won The Bake at the Ocean Course tournament in mid-October.

The early struggles can partly be attributed to the loss of seniors Bank Vongvanij and Andres Echavarria, who were each individual medalists at several tournaments last season.  The two helped the team win Florida’s first SEC Championship since 2003, and advance to the NCAA Championships for the 11th consecutive year.

The Gators really turned it on this Spring winning two of their first three tournaments,  but hit a rough patch in mid-March finishing ninth at the Collegiate Masters in Las Vegas.  However, they bounced back with a third place finish at their following tournament, the Chris Schenkel Invitational in Statesboro, Georgia, before finishing sixth at the Koch.

Florida assistant coach John Hadrigan says the success is partly due to new players stepping up and performing well.

Junior transfer T.J. Vogel is currently the sixth ranked collegiate golfer in the nation, averaging 71 shots per round. He has two tournament wins this season to go along with a number of top five and top ten finishes. Junior Tyler McCumber also has two top five finishes and he and freshman J.D. Tomlinson have finished in the top ten several times.

Some of the Gators’ success can be attributed to Hadrigan, and head coach Buddy Alexander, who stress hard work and are very demanding of their players so they play to the best of their abilities.

Freshman J.D. Tomlinson says the coaches have taught him a lot, including advice beyond the golf course.

Tomlinson adds much more work goes into preparing for a golf season than most people think.

The Gators will be in action again this weekend when they head to the SEC Championship at the Seaside Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Georgia, where there will attempt to defend last year’s conference title.  Then, they are off the NCAA Regionals and NCAA Championships in May.

 

About Robert Lopez

Check Also

Orange & Blue Sports Network

Catch the student-led broadcasts from the College of Journalism and Communications right here.

LIVE THREAD: National Signing Day

Here’s an updated thread of all the recruits who picked the Gator hat today! RB …

AFC Divisional Round Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers

During last weekend’s NFL Wild Card round, the Steelers made a statement by handing the Dolphins a …

Houston Looking For an Upset in Foxborough

The saying has always been “it’s hard to beat a good team twice,” and in …

Blue Jackets vs. Lightning Tonight

The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Tampa Bay Lightning will be facing each other once …

Possible Additions to McElwain’s Recruiting Class Visiting this Weekend

With National Signing Day less than three weeks away, the Gators are hosting several talented …

Florida Gymnastics Prepares for Season Opener

GAINESVILLE, FL – The Florida Gator gymnastics team will kick off their season this Sunday …

Surprised Gators Promote Randy Shannon To Defensive Coordinator? You Shouldn’t Be

Florida’s head coach, Jim McElwain, announced Friday morning that Randy Shannon would be making the …

Quarterbacks in Spotlight for NFL Wild Card Weekend

The NFL Wild Card kicks off Saturday and the quarterback situations could not be any more different. On …

College Football Playoff Shakes Up Schedule

The College Football Playoff was a success in its first year. Yet, that doesn’t stop …

Michael Jordan Speaks out about Shootings, Police Officers

NBA great Michael Jordan opened up about his thoughts about shootings of African-Americans and the …

Treon Harris to Transfer

With the college football season approaching, the Florida Gators have announced that former starting QB …

USA Basketball Wins Second Exhibition Game

Just a few short days after their big win over Argentina, team USA won its …

Charlotte Is No Longer The Home Of The 2017 NBA All-Star Game

The House Bill 2 came between Charlotte, North Carolina and the 2017 All-Star Game. The …

Tampa Bay Rays Continue Series Against Oakland

The Tampa Bay Rays are continuing their three-game winning streak. The Rays defeated the Oakland …

MLB Preview Tonight

It’s summer time—the best time to go to a baseball game and experience the atmosphere. …

Braves Begin Series With Rockies

The Atlanta Braves (33-62) open up a four-game road series with the Rockies (43-51) tonight …

Marlins To Close Out Series With The Phillies

The Miami Marlins are in the middle of a crucial ten game span against NL East …

Rays Crush Rockies 11-3, Face A’s Next

In the midst of a terrible season that has seen the Tampa Bay Rays (37-57) …

American League Second Half Outlook

The second half of the baseball season is in full swing which translates to? Pennant races. Teams …

National League Evening Preview

Tonight is a busy night for the National League in the MLB. Starting with the …

Big 12 Looks To Expand

Following a Tuesday meeting between Big 12 presidents, Oklahoma president David Boren announced that the …

LSU Looks To Capitalize On Its Opportunity

The Louisiana State University Tigers will enter the 2016 college football season with high expectations, …

Muschamp Helps Close Out SEC Media Days 2016

It wasn’t Will Muschamps first SEC Media Days experience, but 2016 marked the first time …

Phil Mickelson Leads British Open After First Day

The 145th annual 2016 British Open is underway at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. The …

Missouri’s Football Crisis: Rebuilding A Program

On the final day of SEC Media Days, Barry Odom took the stand as Missouri’s head …

Second Half Of MLB Season Begins

The All-Star Break is a good time for teams to rest up and reform themselves …

British Open Underway

The 145th Open Championship is already underway at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. Welcome …

Florida Men Set NCAA Record in 200 Medley Relay

Florida set a collegiate record to win the national championship in the 200-yard medley relay …