Gator Take Lead after Round 1 in NCAA Southeast Regionals

OCALA, FL (May 19, 2011) -- Senior Bank Vongvanij (Bradenton, Fla.) shot four under par to lead the Florida men’s golf team to a first-place finish after the first round of the NCAA Regional Tournament in Ocala, Fla. on Thursday. Vongvanij made five birdies and one bogey on the day to finish in a tie for fourth place, only two strokes behind leader Jack Dukeminier of Oregon. The Gators played without sophomore Tyler McCumber (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.), the No. 4 player in the lineup, after he injured his finger earlier in the month. Sophomore Phillip Choi (Orlando, Fla.) finished one stroke behind Vongvanij with a score of 69 in eighth place after making six birdies and three bogeys on the day. Redshirt senior Andres Echavarria (Medellin, Colombia) shot a 71 to finish in a tie for 11th. “We had a really solid day,” Florida head coach Buddy Alexander said. “As I said earlier in the week, this has been a nervous week and today was a particular nervous day with Tyler out and Echavarria sick. I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but I thought we played solidly and I am happy with our start.” Sophomore Tommy Mou (Bradenton, Fla.) and junior Michael Furci (Sayville, N.Y.) both shot a 74 and finished in a tie for 43rd. Today’s round marks the sixth time this season the Gators have led after the first round. As a result, they won the Olympia Fields Invitational, the JU Invitational, the Gator Invitational and the SEC Championship and finished second at the Jerry Pate Invitational. “We still have a lot of golf left to play,” Alexander said. “We need to go out tomorrow and play like we did today.”