The No. 5 ranked University of Florida men’s golf team got off to a rough start on Sunday at the U.S. Collegiate Championship in Atlanta, shooting an eight-over par 296. Senior Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) was the lone bright spot, shooting a two-under par 70.

The Gators sit in a tie for 11th place after the first round. Fourth-ranked Clemson shot five-under par 283 to sit on top of the leader board.

Horschel was solid all day, finishing with three birdies and just one bogey. He is tied for seventh heading into the second round, five shots behind UCLA’s Erik Flores, who opened with a 65 (-7).

“It was a pretty disappointing day today,” said head coach Buddy Alexander. “I thought we were getting a little better and might have a little momentum going into this tournament. We’ve struggled all year to get four good rounds on any given day and today we really only had one good round.”

Junior Tyson Alexander (Gainesville, Fla.) had three bogeys through his first eight holes, but shot par on his next nine holes and made a birdie on the last to finish at two-over par 74. He is tied for 37th after the first round.

Sophomore Andres Echavarria (Medellin, Colombia) and junior Tim McKenney (Scottsdale, Ariz.) each finished at four-over par 76 on the first day and are in a tie for 56th.

Senior Toby Ragland (Jacksonville, Fla.) couldn’t find his rhythm on day one, carding a 78 (+6). He sits in a tie for 68th heading into the second round.

“It was not a solid day,” said Coach Alexander. “Hopefully we can bounce back tomorrow and show a little mental toughness. It’s a hard golf course and it looks like the weather’s going to be a little severe.”

Second round action will begin on Monday at 11 a.m and the final round will be played on Tuesday. Hole-by-hole live scoring will be available online at www.golfstat.com. 

Team Results

Individual Top-10

Florida Results

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