University of Florida sophomores Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) and Will Strickler (Charlottesville, Va.) fired two of the four rounds below par in the entire field on the final day of the Isleworth Invitational on Tuesday, propelling the second-ranked Gators to a runner-up finish with a total of 294-292-302 = 888 (+24). UF finished 12 strokes behind tournament winner Texas (876, +12).

“It was certainly an interesting week for us, as far as scores go,” Florida head coach Buddy Alexander said. “Today was a windy, tough day to play golf. We’re a young team, and we just need to keep working on ways to cover for some high scores on the back end.”

On the individual level, Horschel capped an impressive runner-up finish by carding a one-under 71 in the third round. After an opening-round 79, Horschel found himself in a tie for 75th, but bounced back with rounds of 67 and 71 over the final two days to complete the event with a total of 79-67-71 = 217 (+1). He played the front nine at two-under on Tuesday, highlighted by birdies on the fifth, sixth and eighth holes, to make the turn tied for the lead. He would drop back to one over after a pair of bogeys on the first two holes of the back nine, but rebounded with a birdie on 16 to regain a tie for second. Horschel made one last effort to grab a share of the lead, rolling a chip that would have tied him for first just inches past the cup on 18. The runner-up effort is Horschel’s eighth-consecutive top-10 finish, dating back to the last four tournaments of the 2005-06 season.

“Billy’s performance really didn’t surprise me because I know what kind of guts he has,” Alexander said. “To be in 75th after the worst round of your collegiate career and still wiggle your way down to second place takes grit. He had a great chance on the last hole, but it just rolled past. It was certainly fun to watch him play today.”

Strickler posted the best round of his collegiate career on Tuesday, firing a one-under 71 to move into a tie for 45th with a total of 77-80-71 = 228 (+12). His third round was headlined by an eagle on 13 that moved him from one over to one under, and enabled him to shoot his first collegiate round in red numbers. Strickler also rolled in three birdies on the afternoon en route to his best tournament finish as a Gator.

Sophomore Toby Ragland (Jacksonville, Fla.) met with some third-round problems on Tuesday, but finished his round with two birdies over the final three holes to secure his second top-20 finish of the season. Ragland’s final count of 69-71-82 = 222 (+6) was good for a 19th-place tie. Junior Manuel Villegas (Medellin, Colombia) finished the tourney with a final-round 78 to place in a tie for 61st, while freshman Tim McKenney finished tied for 77th after an 85 on Tuesday.

Final Team Scores

Final Individual Top-10

Final Florida Results

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