Junior Will Strickler (Charlottesville, Va.) carded an even-par 72 on Monday to move into a tie for third place as the ninth-ranked University of Florida men’s golf team heads into the final round of the John Hayt Invitational in 10th place at the Sawgrass Country Club.

The Gators tallied a 17-over 305 on Monday and have totaled a 25-over 601 in 36 holes of play. Defending tournament champion Alabama takes a two-stroke lead into the final day after posting 293 for a 7-over total of 583. Host North Florida (585) is two strokes behind, while UCLA (588), Charlotte (591) and Tennessee (591) round out the top five.

All 15 teams battled inclement weather on Monday as a two-hour delay forced players to resume their rounds in the late afternoon. When play continued, a stiff wind gave way to tough scoring conditions.

“We had about a two-hour delay, and we were on nine, 10 and 11, so it was right in the middle of our round,” said UF head coach Buddy Alexander. “That’s just part of golf and it happens sometimes. We were playing reasonably decent early on right before the delay.”

Strickler, who posted a 71 on Sunday, is five strokes off of the individual lead held by Georgia State’s Joel Sjoholm. Sjoholm sits at 5-under 139, and Strickler is at 1-under 143 with five other players. North Florida’s Michael O’Neal is in second place at 2-under 142.

Strickler posted birdies on holes four and eight but took a double bogey six on the par-4 ninth. However, the junior was able to keep his composure through the brisk conditions to card a 36 on the back-nine with two birdies and two bogeys. He is one of only seven players under par.

Senior Tyler Brown (Jacksonville, Fla.), who was tied for fourth entering the day, played his first nine holes 3-over-par on Monday and finished with a 75. He sits in a six-way tie for 12th place and seeks his first top-15 finish of the year.

Senior Manuel Villegas (Medellin, Colombia) fired a 2-over 74 to move up two spots to a tie for 22nd. Villegas’ only blemish came when he took a triple bogey on the par-3 15th when his shot found the water. Despite the six, Villegas carded three birdies on the day and finished at 4-over 148 overall.

Freshman Bank Vongvanij (Bradenton, Fla.) entered the day tied for 24th but battled tough conditions and holds 53rd place with a 7-over 79. Vongvanij is at 9-over 153 heading into the final 18 holes.

Junior Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) is tied for 57th following a 77, and sophomore Tyson Alexander (Gainesville, Fla.) remained at 77th position with a 79. The two sit at 10-over and 18-over, respectively.

“It was just one of those days where nothing seemed to work for us,” said Buddy Alexander. “We have to work hard and get better. Obviously, we were coming off a real high in winning the Gator (Invitational). We need better play from Billy (Horschel) and Tyson (Alexander) in particular.”

The final round gets underway at 8 a.m. ET Tuesday. Live scoring is available via www.golfstat.com.

Team Scores Through Round Two

Individual Top 5 Through Round Two

Florida Results Through Round Two