Florida Gators
Sea Best Invitational
Vogel, Gators Lead Sea Best Invitational After Day One
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 | Men's Golf
The Florida men's golf team used rounds of 303 (+15) and 284 (-4) to finish the day at 11-over 587 and take an 11 shot lead over Liberty into the final round of the Sea Best Invitational played at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.
“We had a pretty mediocre morning but followed it up with a very good afternoon,” said head coach Buddy Alexander. “We were far from perfect, and still have a lot to improve on, but today put us in a good spot. Having said that, there's obviously a lot of golf left to be played so we'll have to come out and play strong tomorrow.”
For the day, the Gators were led by junior T.J. Vogel (Cooper City, Fla.) who fired a two-round total of 142 (-2) to lead the tournament by a stroke heading into Tuesday's final round. Vogel started his day with a 73, using a pair of birdies and three bogeys to finish his first round at one-over. After starting his second round even through 10 holes thanks to three birdies and three bogeys, Vogel caught fire making birdies on the par-4 12th, the par-3 13th and the par-4 18th to post a three-under 69,
“T.J. played really solid all-day,” Alexander said. “Like our team, he's put himself in a good position heading into the final round but still has a lot of work left to do.”
Freshman Eric Banks (Truro, Canada) and senior Michael Furci (Sayville, N.Y.) each posted scores of 149 (+5) to sit tied for 11th after their first day of action. Banks began the day with a first round 77, but rallied in the afternoon using five birdies to counteract five bogeys to finish his round at even par 72. Furci finished with his 149 after two up-and-down rounds. In the first round Furci tallied an eagle, two birdies, five bogeys and a double for a 75. In his second 18, Furci posted three birdies and five bogeys to finish in two-over 74.
“Eric and Michael really battled out there today,” Alexander explained. “I was with Eric in the morning and he wasn't hitting it great but he kept working and was able to put together a solid round in the afternoon. Michael really hit it well all day but just couldn't get anything to drop for him on the greens.”
Tyler McCumber (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) recovered from an opening round 83 by shooting a 69 in the afternoon. On his second 18, McCumber was able to make six birdies against three bogeys to post a three-under, tying Vogel for the low round of the tournament thus far.
“It was an uncharacteristic morning round for Tyler, but I'm really proud of how he bounced back in the afternoon.” said Alexander.
Tommy Mou (Bradenton, Fla.) turned in a pair of 78's to round out the scoring for UF.
“I have a lot of confidence that Tommy will bounce back tomorrow,” said Alexander. “Today just wasn't his day and sometimes that just happens in golf.”
The Gators will return to the course tomorrow morning when they open their final round play at 8:45 a.m. Live scoring for the second round will be available through www.golfstat.com.
Team Results After Round Two
| Place | Team | To Par | Round One Score | Round Two Score |
| 1 | Florida | +11 | 303 | 284 |
| 2 | Liberty | +22 | 301 | 297 |
| 3 | UNF | +29 | 301 | 304 |
| T4 | Coastal Carolina | +33 | 315 | 294 |
| T4 | Old Dominion | +33 | 308 | 301 |
| 6 | Mercer | +34 | 304 | 306 |
| T7 | East Carolina | +37 | 317 | 296 |
| T7 | East Tennessee St. | +37 | 315 | 298 |
| 9 | Florida Gulf Coast | +45 | 308 | 313 |
| 10 | Jacksonville | +46 | 317 | 305 |
| 11 | Georgia State | +50 | 319 | 307 |
| 12 | Charleston Southern | +51 | 315 | 312 |
| 13 | Jacksonville St. | +54 | 322 | 308 |
Top 10 Individuals After Round Two
| Place | Player (School) | To Par | Round One Score | Round Two Score |
| 1 | T.J. Vogel (Florida) | -2 | 73 | 69 |
| 2 | Brandon Pena (FGCU) | -1 | 70 | 73 |
| 3 | Harold Varner (ECU) | E | 74 | 70 |
| 4 | Robert Karlsson (Liberty) | +1 | 75 | 70 |
| T5 | Ryan Eibner (ECU) | +2 | 75 | 71 |
| T5 | Ian McConnell (Liberty) | +2 | 71 | 75 |
| T8 | Rhys Enoch (ETSU) | +4 | 77 | 71 |
| T8 | Joey Petronio (UNF) | +4 | 74 | 74 |
| T8 | Sebastian Soderberg (CCU) | +4 | 75 | 73 |
Florida Results After Round Two
| Place | Player | To Par | Round One Score | Round Two Score |
| 1 | T.J. Vogel | -2 | 73 | 69 |
| T11 | Eric Banks | +5 | 77 | 72 |
| T11 | Michael Furci | +5 | 75 | 74 |
| T23 | Tyler McCumber | +8 | 83 | 69 |
| T36 | Tommy Mou | +12 | 78 | 78 |
--UF--
