UF Men’s Golf: Gators Tied for Third Entering Final Round of Southern Highlands Collegiate

Courtesy of UF Athletic Association

The Florida men’s golf team shot even par on the second day of the event behind freshman Ricky Castillo’s 4-under 68.

The Florida men’s golf team shot even par on the second day of the Southern Highlands Collegiate, putting it in a tie for third place heading into Tuesday’s final round.

USC is the only team under par, leading the field at 6 under. Yuxin Lin of USC also holds the individual lead by five strokes at 10 under.

Ricky Castillo was the Gators’ top performer through the second round of the event. The freshman recorded six birdies, including a blemish-free 3 under on the front nine, to finish the round at 4 under. Castillo’s solid outing puts him at 5 under overall and in sole possession of second place individually.

John Axelsen also had a solid round for the Gators. The junior had four birdies to put him at 1 under on the day. Axelsen’s under-par performance improves his total to 1 over and ties him for 14th as an individual.

Chris Nido played steady throughout the round, notching one birdie and just three bogeys to go into the clubhouse at 2 over.

John DuBois and Blake Dyer both shot second-round 75s and are now tied for 50th and 27th, respectively.

The final round of the event is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET. College Golf Live will be producing live, featured group coverage from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET. The stream can be found on Golfweek.com/SouthernHighlands2020 for free as well as on the home page of Golfstat.com and on College Golf Live’s Twitter page.

Head Coach JC Deacon’s Take

On the team’s round-two performance…
“Another tough day, as it was super windy from start to finish. Our guys also had to navigate 180 degrees change in wind direction from yesterday. I thought we managed it well and turned in a solid round. We could have been better, but even par in those conditions is quality.”

On Ricky Castillo’s 4 under…
“Having Ricky lead us like this is so huge. He’s playing at an unbelievable level and setting a great example with his patience and composure. The work he’s put in on his mental game continues to pay off.”

On tomorrow’s final round…
“We have a fantastic opportunity tomorrow. We get to play in the final group of the strongest event in college golf’s regular season. What a great challenge to see how mentally tough we can be.”

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