UF Finishes Fourth at Southern Highlands Collegiate

Las Vegas – The University of Florida men’s golf team shot a one-over par 289 on Sunday to move up one spot on the leader board and finish fourth at the 2009 Southern Highlands Collegiate Championship in Las Vegas.

“It was another solid day today,” said head coach Buddy Alexander. “We had a lot of guys around par and were able to pick up a little ground. This was a pretty decent event for us. I felt like we played better than we did in Puerto Rico so we’re making progress.”

The Gators had a three-day total of 872 (+8) and were led by senior Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.), who finished in a tie for sixth. Horschel played all three rounds at or under par, carding a 71 (-1) in the third round. He finished with a 54-hole total of 214 (-2).

After posting his first score under par for the tournament, junior Tim McKenney (Scottsdale, Ariz.) moved up the leader board to earn a share of 12th place at two-over par 218. McKenney birdied the 18th hole on Sunday for a final-round 71 (-1).

Senior Will Strickler (Charlottesville, Va.) struggled on the final day, shooting a five-over par 77, but was solid in the opening rounds and earned a share of 19th place at five-over par 221.

Senior Toby Ragland (Jacksonville, Fla.) had his best round of the tournament on Sunday, shooting a 72 (E) to finish at eight-over par 224 and in a tie for 29th place. Freshman Max Kieffer (Duesseldorf, Germany) shot a final round 75 (+3) and had a tournament total of 228 (+12), earning a share of 54th place.

“There were all positives this week, no negatives,” said Coach Alexander. “Even though there was nothing spectacular I feel like we’re making progress.”

Host UNLV shot six-under par 282 to move past Oklahoma State and take the team title with a three-round total of 855 (-9). Georgia Tech’s Cameron Tringale finished at 11-under par 205 to earn the individual medal. Complete results can be found online at www.golfstat.com.

The Gators will travel to Statesboro, Ga. next weekend for the Chris Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational, hosted by Georgia Southern. The three-day event will begin on Friday, March 20 and conclude on Sunday, March 22.

Final Team Results

1. UNLV                        285-288-282=855 (-9)

2. Oklahoma State        291-270-295=856 (-8)

3. Georgia                     303-284-283=870 (+6)

4. FLORIDA                 290-293-289=872 (+8)

5. Southern California    295-294-290=879 (+15)

6. Georgia Tech                        289-295-300=884 (+20)

7. Clemson                   283-298-306=887 (+23)

8. UCLA                        296-293-299=888 (+24)

9. Arizona                     287-289-316=892 (+28)

10. Arizona State          309-285-300=894 (+30)

T11. Charlotte              300-300-304=904 (+40)

T11. Texas A&M           308-299-297=904 (+40)

13. Texas                     312-293-300=905 (+41)

14. Auburn                   302-300-305=907 (+43)

15. California                 298-305-305=907 (+43)

Individual Top-10

1. Cameron Tringale, Georgia Tech        67-70-68=205 (-11)

T2. Matthew Giles, Southern Cal            67-71-72=210 (-6)

T2. Morgan Hoffmann, Oklahoma St.     72-62-76=210 (-6)

4. Brett Kanda, UNLV                            72-71-69=212 (-4)

5. Eddie Olson, UNLV                            73-71-69=213 (-3)

T6. Billy Horschel, Florida                  71-72-71=214 (-2)

T6. Trent Leon, Oklahoma St.                74-69-71=214 (-2)

8. Brian Harman, Georgia                      72-74-69=215 (-1)

T9. Colby Smith, UNLV                          67-73-77=217 (+1)

T9. Jeremiah Wooding, UNLV                73-68-76=217 (+1)

Florida Results

T6. Billy Horschel          71-72-71=214 (-2)

T11. Tim McKenney      75-72-71=218 (+2)

T19. Will Strickler          70-74-77=221 (+5)

T29. Toby Ragland        77-75-72=224 (+8)

T54. Max Kieffer            74-79-75=228 (+12)