Second Straight Two-Under Round Places Gators Third

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The Florida men’s golf team turned in its second straight round of 278 (-2) in round three of the National Championships to sit in third for the final round of stroke play tomorrow. 

The Gators advance to the fourth round of stroke play for the fifth time in program history and third under head coach J.C. Deacon. It marks the second consecutive season reaching the final 18 as the match play format was added in 2009. 

Florida’s back-to-back rounds of under par is the first since rounds one and two during the 2006 NCAA Championships when UF finished runner-up. The score of 278 (-2) ties the program record by score and par at Grayhawk, which was set yesterday. 

Monday will feature the final round of stroke play as the top-8 teams advance to match play. The Gators are seeking its first-ever appearance in the match play portion, which was added in 2009. 

All four of the counting scores were even or under par for the Orange and Blue. The non counting round was only a 72 (+2) by Yuxin Lin. The efforts were led by John DuBois and Fred Biondi shooting rounds of 1-under 69. The duo have shot even or under all three rounds, including Biondi with all under – 69, 68 and 69. 

Recording his fourth round in the 60s all-time at Grayahwk, Biondi enters five strokes back tomorrow in the hunt for the NCAA Championship Individual Title. He looks to become the third Gator to win the individual title, joining Bob Murphy (1996) and Nick Gilliam (2001). 

After a bogey-free round yesterday, he didn’t shoot one until his 36th hole over the last three rounds on 15. Tied for 4th, he holed out for birdie in the bunker from 40 yards out on par-4 seventh, ranked the hardest hole on the weekend.  

DuBois went 2-under on the front and was -3 through the first 10 holes with birdies at the end and start of the turn on 9 & 10. He is 1-under through 54 holes and tied with Ricky Castillo. 

One of two rounds of even par 70, Castillo was steady in the morning with only one bogey to his name, coming in his final hole and only his sixth in three rounds. In his last 10 rounds, eight of them have been even or under par. 

Battling back and making a six shot improvement, Matthew Kress carded the second 70 (E). He started things off with the first birdie for Florida on five and knocked another on six. The All-SEC Freshman Team selection, bounced back from four bogeys in a six hole stretch with four…