Senior Bank Vongvanij (Bradenton, Fla.) came back from 22nd place after the first round to take the title in the last 18 holes Tuesday at the Isleworth Invitational in Orlando. The Gators finished in a tie for third.
With the win, Vongvanij became the first Florida men’s golfer to win the title since the tournament’s inception in 2004. Billy Horschel recorded the previous high finish in 2006 when he tied for second.
Vongvanij started the round with four birdies in the first nine holes. He carded another birdie on hole 14 before making a double bogey on the 15th hole, but followed it with another birdie. He shot even par on the last two holes to finish four-under par on the day and the tournament.
“Bank’s finish today was well deserved,” said head coach Buddy Alexander. “He has worked harder than anyone else this year and we are very proud of him.”
Sophomore Phillip Choi (Orlando, Fla.) started the day tied for 29th and made five birdies and three bogeys to finish two under par and in a career-high tie for eighth place.
Sophomores Tommy Mou (Bradenton, Fla.) and Tyler McCumber (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) finished tied for 37th and 51st places respectively, while junior Michael Furci (Sayville, N.Y.) finished in a tie for 57th. Mou carded four bogeys and three double bogeys, but also made an eagle on hole 13. McCumber made five bogeys, two double bogeys and a birdie and Furci carded five bogeys, three double bogeys and two birdies.
Alabama held on to its first-place lead after round two to win the Invitational. It marked the first time this season the Gators have finished behind the Crimson Tide.
“I am proud of our guys for finishing in the top three in all of our fall tournaments,” said Alexander. “We certainly have some things to work on, but I have seen some really good things and I am very excited about the spring.”
The Gators will resume play in the spring of 2011 at the JU Invitational in Jacksonville , Fla., on Feb. 1 and 2.
Team Scores After Round Two
| Place | School | To Par | Round One Score | Round Two Score | Round Three Score | Total Score |
| 1 | Alabama | +20 | 291 | 292 | 301 | 884 |
| 2 | LSU | +22 | 293 | 294 | 299 | 886 |
| T3 | FLORIDA | +30 | 305 | 290 | 299 | 894 |
| T3 | Stanford | +30 | 290 | 297 | 307 | 894 |
| T5 | TCU | +31 | 290 | 299 | 306 | 895 |
| T5 | Oklahoma State | +31 | 298 | 297 | 300 | 895 |
| 7 | Texas Tech | +32 | 297 | 300 | 299 | 896 |
| 8 | Ohio State | +36 | 299 | 307 | 294 | 900 |
| 9 | Texas | +40 | 309 | 297 | 298 | 904 |
| 10 | UCF | +43 | 307 | 294 | 306 | 907 |
| T11 | Tennessee | +44 | 309 | 294 | 305 | 908 |
| T11 | Georgia | +44 | 304 | 301 | 303 | 908 |
| 13 | SMU | +51 | 301 | 307 | 307 | 915 |
| 14 | Vanderbilt | +59 | 298 | 302 | 323 | 923 |
| 15 | Arizona | +68 | 302 | 315 | 315 | 932 |
Individual Top 10 Through Round Two
| Place | Player (School) | To Par | Round One Score | Round Two Score | Round Three Score | Total Score |
| 1 | Bank Vongvanij (Florida) | -4 | 74 | 70 | 68 | 212 (-4) |
| 2 | Robin Wingardh (Tennessee) | -2 | 71 | 68 | 75 | 214 (-2) |
| 3 | Morgan Hoffman (Oklahoma State) | E | 71 | 71 | 74 | 216 (E) |
| 4 | Andrew Yun (Stanford) | +1 | 71 | 70 | 76 | 217 (+1) |
| T5 | Andrew Loupe (LSU) | +2 | 70 | 73 | 75 | 218 (+2) |
| T5 | Cory Whitsett (Alabama) | +2 | 71 | 74 | 73 | 218 (+2) |
| 7 | Kevin Tway (Oklahoma State) | +3 | 73 | 71 | 75 | 219 (+3) |
| T8 | Phillip Choi (Florida) | +4 | 78 | 72 | 70 | 220 (+4) |
| T8 | Bo Hoag (Ohio State) | +4 | 71 | 76 | 73 | 220 (+4) |
| T8 | Tarquin Macmanus (Arizona) | +4 | 69 | 77 | 75 | 220 (+4) |
Florida Results After Round One
| Place | Player | Round One Score | Round Two Score | Round Three Score | Total Score |
| 1 | Bank Vongvanij | 74 (+2) | 70 (-2) | 68 (-4) | 212 (-4) |
| T8 | Phillip Choi | 78 (+6) | 72 (E) | 70 (-2) | 220 (+4) |
| T37 | Tyler McCumber | 76 (+4) | 73 (+1) | 80 (+8) | 229 (+13) |
| T51 | Tommy Mou | 77 (+5) | 75 (+3) | 81 (+9) | 233 (+17) |
| T57 | Michael Furci | 79 (+7) | 76 (+4) | 81 (+9) | 236 (+20) |
