Parker Bell shot a 2-under 70 behind a bogey-free back nine with Florida eight shots above the championship cut.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Florida men’s golfer Parker Bell led the Gators in the opening round of the NCAA West Lafayette Regional with a 2-under 70 as Florida sits in 4th, eights above the championship cut on Monday.
The No. 3-seeded Gators were part of the first wave to tee off with No. 1 Vanderbilt (-11) and No. 2 Arizona (-5), who both placed one-two after 18-holes with the Commodores round score of 277 marking the lowest in NCAA event at Kampen-Cosler Course. It was an up and down round for the Gators as they were as high as second and low as 13th, turning in a round one score of 1-over 289 in windy conditions throughout the day. UF had a counting score stretch of 2-under between holes 10-15, but then combined for 2-over on the final three holes.
Following the conclusion of 54-holes, the top five teams as well as the low individual finisher not on an advancing team will advance to the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa (Champions Course) in Carlsbad, Calif. from May 24-29.
Florida is set to tee off round two tomorrow morning at 8 a.m., paired with New Mexico (5, +2) and Mississippi State (T6, +9) going off hole 10 at Kampen-Cosler Course. Tee times have been moved up 30 minutes due to expected rain in the forecast.
Bell notched his 15th round of par or better and third of four under par rounds in the postseason, making his first career appearances in both the SEC Championship and NCAA Regionals. He hit the century mark (100) in birdies with his second of three on the day, coming at hole 12 (par4, 477 yards) that moved the Gators to T3 at the time. The sophomore only had one bogey in his 18 holes. He is tied for 5th and four back of leader Cameron Huss (Wisconsin), who recorded the lowest round in NCAA play at the course with a 6-under 66.
The second Gator to shoot under par was Ian Gilligan with a 1-under 71. It marked his team-leading 19th round of par or better as he made a team-high five birdies. The junior is tied for 8th.
Florida counted a pair of 2-over 74s from John DuBois and Matthew Kress, as the course played average score of 74.84 today. The duo are tied for 28th as Kress recorded his third eagle on the season at the par5 fourth (535 yards) with a long putt from the front of the green.
Rounding out the lineup was freshman Jack Turner with a round one of 76 (+4).
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