Men's Golf Looks To Continue Winning Ways At John Hayt Invitational
Saturday, February 16, 2008 | Men's Golf
Fresh off of its SunTrust Gator Invitational win, the ninth-ranked University of Florida men's golf team seeks to continue the momentum it established last weekend as it travels to the John Hayt Invitational, Feb. 17-19, at the Sawgrass Country Club.
The 54-hole tournament features 18 holes on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. UF is paired with No. 3 Charlotte and No. 10 Tennessee on the first tee. The Gators slate of tee times begin at 8:30 a.m. Sunday and follow in nine-minute intervals. Live scoring is available through www.golfstat.com.
The John Hayt Invitational boasts arguably the toughest field in all of collegiate golf. Formerly known as the Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate, the tournament is dubbed as college golf's first major. Nine teams in the field of 15 are ranked in the current Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index Top 30, including No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Charlotte, No. 5 UCLA, No. 10 Tennessee, No. 19 Indiana, No. 20 South Carolina, No. 24 Central Florida and No. 27 Pepperdine.
“This will be a tough field with three of the top-five teams in the country,” said UF head coach Buddy Alexander.
The Sawgrass Country Club, once home to the PGA Tour's The Players Championship from 1977-81, plays to a par 72 and 6,895 yards. SEC teams have claimed the team title three out of the last four years, including last year's winner Alabama.
The Gators will be appearing in their 12th John Hayt Invitational but first since the tournament was renamed in 2007. Florida has enjoyed great success at Sawgrass having captured first place in five out of the last eight John Hayt Invitationals. The Gators won four straight from 1999-2001. UF finished seventh in 2006 with a three-day total of 914.
Alexander has penciled in three players who were in last week's rotation into the lineup. Sophomore Tyson Alexander (Gainesville, Fla.) and junior Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) form the Gators' No. 1 and No. 2. Freshman Bank Vongvanij (Bradenton, Fla.), who earned his first career top-10 finish last weekend, has earned a spot as has senior Manuel Villegas (Medellin, Colombia) and senior Tyler Brown (Jacksonville, Fla.). Junior Will Strickler (Charlottesville, Va.) will be playing as an individual.
Tyson Alexander led Florida to its fifth straight SunTrust Gator Invitational win with third place. The Gators posted a 20-under 54-hole total of 820 to win by 12 shots over No. 11 Florida State. It represented the largest margin of victory since the Mark Bostick Golf Course underwent a major renovation in 2001.
“Last week was an important weekend for us, and the kids played great,” said Alexander. “We had four or five guys break par, and it was a great way to start. It was important to win that tournament because of having an advantage at home.”
Alexander carded a career-low 6-under 204 after rounds of 66 (-4), 70 (E) and 68 (-2). His previous highest finish was 12th, and he improved upon his previous career-low tournament score by 10 shots.
Horschel enters the weekend as the SEC leader in scoring average at 69.77 in nine recorded rounds. The two-time All-American is the only player in the league to hold a scoring average under 70. He improved on his margin with fourth place at the Gator Invitational. Vongvanij, who is making his third career start, played as an individual last weekend and took a share of ninth place with a 2-under 208.
“He's our only freshman,” said Alexander of Vongvanij. “He's a tough kid and has a nice knack for the game. He knows how to score and how to play. We have a lot of depth, and he is wiggling his way in their (lineup).”
Brown will be in familiar surroundings when he tees off on Sunday. The Jacksonville native plays regularly at the Sawgrass Country Club and lettered two seasons at tournament host North Florida. He finished second at the 2005 John Hayt Invitational.
