Freshman Tyson Alexander (Gainesville, Fla.) and sophomore Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) both shot final rounds of 68 (-4) on Tuesday to lead the No. 1 University of Florida men’s golf team to a ninth-place finish at the Puerto Rico Classic. The Gators posted a two-over 290 as a team in the third round to finish the tournament at 867 (+3).

“Today was clearly the toughest day of this tournament in terms of playing conditions and wind,” Florida head coach Buddy Alexander said. “There weren’t too many people under par, so it was important to see Tyson and Billy put up some low numbers. As a team, we can’t expect to have to count scores of 77 and 78 and still be competitive.”

One day after firing a career-low 69 to move to two over par, Alexander’s 68 was another career-best 18-hole total. He birdied five holes on the day, bogeying only the par-four ninth, to wrap up the tournament with a total of 12 birdies that eclipses the season total of 11 that he owned heading into the event. Alexander’s final-round 68 is not only a career low, but the 137 that he posted over the tourney’s final two rounds marks a new 36-hole collegiate low. He finished the tournament with a personal-best score of 214 (-2) – the only Gator to finish in red numbers – and earned his second top-20 finish in as many outings.

Horschel’s 68 was his best round of the tournament by five strokes, moving him from a tie for 51st after 36 holes to a two-way tie for 22nd place at the conclusion of play. He played a bogey-free round on Tuesday, reaching red numbers with birdies on the second, 12th, 15th and 17th holes. On a windy day in San Juan, Horschel and Alexander matched one another for Tuesday’s low round.

“Billy got into a little bit of a groove today and ended up playing really well,” Alexander said. “He’s been battling his putter a little bit recently, but he did well on the greens today. This will also be a confidence boost for both guys, especially Tyson, since it came on a rough day at a challenging course.”

Sophomore Toby Ragland (Jacksonville, Fla.) finished in a tie for 24th with a score of 217 (+1) after turning in a final-round 76 on Tuesday. Freshman Tim McKenney (Scottsdale, Ariz.) posted a third-round 78 to finish the tournament tied for 50th (223, +7), while junior Manuel Villegas (Medellin, Colombia) finished in a tie for 70th after a final-round 81 left him at 228 (+12) for the event.

UF will take a week off before heading to Las Vegas and the Southern Highlands Golf Club for the Las Vegas Invitational. UNLV will host the event from March 9-11.

Final Team Scores

Final Individual Top-10

Final Florida Results

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