University of Florida sophomore Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) will enter the final round of the Southern Highlands Collegiate Championship tied atop the leader board with a score of 143 (-3) after shooting even-par 72 in the second round. The Gators recorded a total of 300 (+12) as a team to finish the day in third place with a tally of 591 (+15). UF moved from fifth to third on the second day, and stand just seven strokes behind leader Georgia heading into the final 18 holes of competition.

“We’re hanging around even though we’re not playing as well as we could,” Florida head coach Buddy Alexander said. “This is a tough course, and it’s been taking its toll on the teams here. I like the way we’re hanging tough, and we’ve put ourselves in a position to have a solid tournament.”

Horschel, who has only two bogeys through 36 holes of play and started the tournament with a 23-hole bogey-free streak, was one under on the front nine on Saturday. He registered two second-round birdies to run his tournament total to five, and will head into the final round in a three-way tie for second, just one stroke off the pace. He has been at par or better in each of his last three rounds, dating back to the final 18 holes of the Puerto Rico Classic. The last time Horschel entered the final round of a tournament in the top-10, he fired a 63 to take the individual medal at the Preview Invitational (Oct. 2-4) after beginning the day in a tie for 10th.

“Billy is a competitive golfer, and he likes having something to play for,” Alexander said. “He finishes tournaments well, so I’m looking for him to do the same tomorrow. He’s the biggest reason why we’re positioned as high as we are as a team.”

Sophomore Toby Ragland (Jacksonville, Fla.) finished three over on the day after posting back-to-back birdies on holes 13 and 14. He rebounded from a three-over start to bring his round home at an even-par clip. Ragland’s two-round total of 148 (+4) will send him into the final day in a tie for 20th place.

Freshman Andres Echavarria (Medellin, Colombia) birdied two holes on the day en route to a second-round 76 that will send him to the final round tied for 27th with a score of 149 (+5). UF rookie Tyson Alexander (Gainesville, Fla.) shot a five-over 77 on Saturday despite a quadruple-bogey on the 11th hole and a triple-bogey on the 17th, as he battled back with four birdies on the afternoon. He will start the final day tied for 61st with a score of 155 (+11). Junior Manuel Villegas (Medellin, Colombia) posted a second-day 80 to increase his score to 156 (+12) through 36 holes.

“We need to avoid big numbers if we’re going to finish the tournament well,” Alexander said. “I’d like to see five guys put together a solid round of golf each. If we do that, it’ll be an interesting final day in terms of where we finish.”

Competition will resume at Southern Highlands Golf Club at 11 a.m. EST on Sunday. Georgia leads the tournament with a total of 584 (+8) after shooting a 299 (+11) on Saturday, while Horschel will be joined at the head of the field by Texas A&M’s Martin Piller, Georgia Tech’s Roberto Castro and UCLA’s Lucas Lee. Live scoring is available at www.golfstat.com, and can be accessed via www.gatorzone.com.

Team Scores Through Round Two

Individual Top-10 Through Round Two

Florida Results Through Round Two

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