Florida Gators
Gary Koch Invitational (Rd. 2)
Ragland, M. Golf Atop Gary Koch Invitational Leaderboard
Monday, October 10, 2005 | Men's Golf
The University of Florida men's golf team extended its advantage at the 2005 Gary Koch Intercollegiate on Monday afternoon to 11 strokes by firing a 12-under par score of 276 in the second round of the 54-hole tournament. That figure matched the third-best team score over 18 holes since the event's inception in 1999.
Head Coach Buddy Alexander's contingent shot a 277 (-11) during the morning session at the Old Memorial Golf Club to occupy the top spot ahead of Kentucky and LSU, who were tied for second with identical scores of 286 (-2). The Gators enter tomorrow morning's final round with an 11-shot lead over the second-place Wildcats.
Gator freshman Toby Ragland (Jacksonville, Fla.) shot a team-low of 67 in round two to take over the tournament lead from senior teammate James Vargas (Miami, Fla.). Following his first two collegiate rounds, Ragland is setting the pace following an eight-under par day, two shots ahead of Kentucky sophomore Brad Doster (70-68=138).
“Toby has been a solid player for a long time,” Alexander said, “but he has had a few periods where he struggled. Lately, we have hit a couple of the right switches to get him going again and it showed. He didn't struggle today. He was never in any trouble, hit the ball down the fairway and looked like he knew what he was doing.”
Ragland's 67 in the second round tied him for the 10th-best round by a Gator freshman since 1975. He is one of three current Gators to card a 67 during his rookie year. Current seniors Brett Stegmaier (Madison, Conn.) and Matt Every (Daytona Beach, Fla.) each recorded a 67 during their freshman seasons. Stegmaier holds the Florida freshman standard by carding a 64 during the 2003 SEC Championships.
“I'm anxious to see how he (Ragland) handles the heat tomorrow,” Alexander said. “Obviously when a guy plays this well, even though it's one day, you can't wait to see how he does under different conditions.”
The Gators had balanced production throughout the lineup during both rounds on Monday. Of the 10 rounds played by Florida golfers, nine individuals managed a score of par or under.
Every recorded back-to-back round of 70's to finish the day at four-under-par. He also lowered his stroke average to a team-best 70.50 and is tied for third with fellow Gators freshman Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) and Vargas.
Horschel (140, -4) bounced back from a 72 during the first round to register a career-best 68. The first-round leader, Vargas shot a 73 to finish the afternoon at 140. Stegmaier completed the day with back-to-back scores of 71 to finish with a total of 142 (-2), good for a 10th-place tie with three other players.
In addition, College of Charleston sophomore Dennis McCollum finished one shot off the tournament record of 62. McCollum reeled off nine birdies during the second round, but had a bogey on the final hole to finish at 63 (-9). Florida's Camilo Villegas set the tournament mark in 2001 with a 10-under 62.
Florida will look to capture its second tournament of the season on Tuesday morning. The Gators, Kentucky and South Florida (-1) are the only teams below par after the first day of action. Tee times are scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Tournament results can be found at www.gatorzone.com.
Team Results
| Place | School | 1st Round | 2nd Round | Total | Even/Over Par |
| 1. | Florida | 277 | 276 | 553 | -23 |
| 2. | Kentucky | 286 | 278 | 564 | -12 |
| 3. | South Florida | 292 | 283 | 575 | -1 |
| 4. | LSU | 286 | 291 | 577 | +1 |
| 5. | Toledo | 287 | 292 | 579 | +3 |
| T6. | Georgia State | 294 | 286 | 580 | +4 |
| T6. | Texas A&M | 289 | 291 | 580 | +4 |
| 8. | Florida State | 289 | 293 | 582 | +6 |
| 9. | UCF | 291 | 293 | 584 | +8 |
| 10. | Coll. of Charleston | 301 | 287 | 588 | +12 |
| 11. | North Florida | 294 | 296 | 590 | +14 |
| 12. | Arkansas | 297 | 298 | 595 | +19 |
Top-10 Individual Results
| Place | Player, School | 1st Round | 2nd Round | Total | Even/Over Par |
| 1. | Toby Ragland, Florida | 69 | 67 | 136 | -8 |
| 2. | Brad Doster, Kentucky | 70 | 68 | 138 | -6 |
| T3. | Darren Baynes, Georgia State | 72 | 68 | 140 | -4 |
| T3. | Matt Every, Florida | 70 | 70 | 140 | -4 |
| T3. | Robert Gates, Jr., Texas A&M | 69 | 71 | 140 | -4 |
| T3. | Billy Horschel, Florida | 72 | 68 | 140 | -4 |
| T3. | James Vargas | 67 | 73 | 140 | -4 |
| T8. | Kevin Tilbury, South Florida | 69 | 72 | 141 | -3 |
| T8. | Beck Troutman, LSU | 70 | 71 | 141 | -3 |
| T10. | Matt Kohn, Kentucky | 72 | 70 | 142 | -2 |
| T10. | Brett Stegmaier, Florida | 71 | 71 | 142 | -2 |
| T10. | Giwon Suh, UCF | 72 | 70 | 142 | -2 |
| T10. | Daniel Woltman, Kentucky | 73 | 69 | 142 | -2 |
Florida Results
| Place | Player | 1st Round | 2nd Round | Total | Even/Over Par |
| 1. | Toby Ragland | 69 | 67 | 136 | -8 |
| T3. | Matt Every | 70 | 70 | 140 | -4 |
| T3. | Billy Horschel | 72 | 68 | 140 | -4 |
| T3. | James Vargas | 67 | 73 | 140 | -4 |
| T10. | Brett Stegmaier | 71 | 71 | 142 | -2 |
-UF-
