Fred Biondi becomes the third Gator to win the individual title as the Gators advance to match play for the first time in program history.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – In his final stroke play tournament, Fred Biondi rallied from five shots down to be crowned the 2023 Individual National Champion as the Florida men’s golf team advanced to the match play for the first time in program history.
Biondi is the third Gator to win medalist honors joining Nick Gilliam (2001) and Bobby Murphy (1966). The last time a UF golfer won the individual title, Florida also won the team championships in 2001. He is the first player to shoot under par in all four rounds at the last three National Championships at Grayhawk GC. He tied his career-low at Grayhawk with a final round of 67 (-3) to finish 7-under 273.
The Brazilian is the first Latin American Champion and first international player since Thomas Pieters (Illinois) to win the Individual National Championship.
Entering the day five back from leader Ross Steelman (Georgia Tech), Biondi started off strong with a birdie on two and then knocked down two more in his next four holes and brought the deficit to one shot with a birdie on six. He went on to double bogey seven, sending him back down the leaderboard, but Biondi erased the mistake with back-to-back birdies on 9 & 10.
Winning his fourth collegiate title and third event of the season, Biondi also was named the 2023 Division I Arnold Palmer Champion Award. He finished ranked No. 2 in the final PGA Tour U Rankings joining teammates Ricky Castillo, who placed No. 9 and Yuxin Lin a spot behind at No. 10.
The finish inside the top-5 earns him fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2023, as well as an exemption to Final Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry – where the top five finishers and ties earn PGA TOUR cards – and the ability to accept unlimited PGA TOUR sponsor exemptions for the remainder of 2023 and 2024.
Players who finished Nos. 11-20 in the final PGA TOUR University Ranking earned fully exempt membership on PGA TOUR Canada for 2023, as well as an exemption to Second Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, and conditional status through the Latin America Swing of the 2024 PGA TOUR Americas season.
Biondi again bounced back from another mistake, a bogey on 12, with his 15th birdie of the weekend on 14 behind a dart approach that landed inside 10 feet. Bringing it back to one shot of Steelman. Biondi then jumped in control of the lead after Steelman made bogey on 17.
Play was slowed down and backed up on the 17th hole as Illinois’ Jackson Buchanan, who was in the group in front of Biondi, was chasing him for the title and brought it to one shot after he made a birdie on 17 while Biondi watched on the 17th tee box.
Biondi was steady and made par on 17 as Buchanan set himself up for a birdie chance to tie on 18, but it just missed the cup as he made par while Biondi walked down the fairway. On the 18th green with his mom and dad and all of Grayhawk gathered around, Biondi remained poised. He set himself for a two-putt par and was crowned champion.
Florida finishes stroke play in T2 with a score of 1118 (-2), its lowest all-time at Grayhawk and first under par team score at the NCAAs since 2006. The No. 2 seeded Gators reach match play and are set to take on seven-seeded Virginia in the quarterfinals tomorrow at 9:20 a.m. ET. Coverage will begin at Noon ET on Golf Channel. If the Gators defeat UVA, they will face the winner of Illinois and Florida State at 3:45 p.m. in the semifinals. The finals are set for Tuesday at 4:35 p.m. ET.
Match play was added in 2009 and Florida’s closest chance to secure a spot came last year with a T10 finish and missing the top-8 cut by seven shots. The Gators made it to the fourth and final round of stroke play for the fifth time in program history and third under head J.C. Deacon.
Castillo finished T11 with an even 280 for his career-best finish at the NCAAs and second top-15. Fellow senior John DuBois was stroke back to place T18. The last time Florida had three players finish in the top-20 was in 2006 with Billy Horschel (T10), Matt Every (T15) and Brett Stegmaier (2006).
Improving in the final two rounds, Matthew Kress shot a 1-under 69 for back-to-back rounds of even or under par.
Fred Biondi…
On climbing back today…
“I just stayed really patient. That was the whole key today and something that I told J.C. (Deacon) this morning in the car. No matter what happened, if I was hitting good shots, bad shots, good putts, bad putts, I was going to keep the same attitude and demeanor out there. I just put my head down and tried the best I could and put the best swings I could and the best strokes I could.”
On the impact the rest of the field’s play had down the stretch…
“I remember the first time I saw a leaderboard was on six, and I was little back and then I doubled seven. From (holes) 7 to 14 I had no idea, and then on 15 tee I asked what the leaderboard was at, and I was one back. I knew if I finished somewhat good I had a chance. There was a big screen right behind 15 and I saw that I was tied for the lead there. When I was sitting on 17 there was a long wait and I peeked and saw (Ross Steelman) made five, so I just knew I had to par out. That’s why I laid up on 17.”
On his emotions and nerves on his second shot on hole 18…
“It was tough. We were right in-between numbers, between a nine (iron) and eight (iron), and I like holding a lot of shots, especially right to left was helping a lot with the wind and I just wanted to hold something and we wanted to take the water out of play. It was a little bit on the downslope, and we didn’t want to come out a little thin and short. We took the eight, and knew there was a big chance the ball would be on the back of the green, so let’s hit a solid shot here and then figure it out with the putter.”
On his mindset going into tomorrow’s team championship…
“I’m definitely going to enjoy this with the guys, but we have to be here pretty early tomorrow morning and play good. It’s the National Championship, and all the guys here are pretty hungry to win too. Have to put this behind me, enjoy it this afternoon and tonight, but be ready to go tomorrow morning.”
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