Florida was the only school with three men competing at the event.
SUGAR GROVE, Ill. – A trio Florida men’s golfers turned in a strong performance at the Arnold Palmer Cup over the past three days. The Ryder Cup-style event, held this year at Rich Harvest Farms, features 48 collegiate golfers split into a USA team and an international team with 12 men and 12 women on each squad. UF head coach JC Deacon, a native of Canada, served as a head coach and captain for the international team.
The Gators were the only men’s team with three representatives in the event and the only one with competitors on both sides. Ricky Castillo competed for the USA team, while Yuxin Lin (China) and Joe Pagdin (England) played for the international side. Castillo and Lin were making their second appearance at the event, while Pagdin was a first-time competitor.
For the Gator golfers, the Saturday morning foursome matches highlighted the weekend as all three scored for their respective teams. Florida and Oklahoma State – the only other school with multiple participants – teamed up for two international points as Lin and Eugenio Chacarra posted a 3&2 win while Pagdin and Bo Jin won, 3&1. Castillo and Dylan Menante (Pepperdine) scored for the USA, 2&1.
Pagdin kicked off the event with a point in Friday’s mixed fourball play, pairing with Emily Prince (Kent State) to win their round, 1-up, for the international team, while Castillo and Lauren Hartlage (Louisville) earned a tie and half a point for the USA. In Saturday afternoon’s mixed foursome, both Lin and Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (South Carolina) along with Castillo and Rachel Kuehn (Wake Forest) picked up a tie and the half-point for their respective teams.
In Sunday’s singles play to wrap up action, Castillo got the better of Pagdin, 2&1, to score for the USA, which secured the 33-27 win in the Palmer Cup and improved to 13-11-1 all-time.
FROM COACH DEACON
“It was a great honor to serve as the International Team Captain at the Arnold Palmer Cup. I did not know what to expect entering the event as I had only met a few of the players and coaches previously.
“I can honestly say this was one of the best experiences of my life. These 24 players and four coaches became so incredibly close in just five days. The passion and love with which they played the game and supported each other was truly inspiring.
“I learned more this weekend than I ever could have imagined. I am going to be a much better coach after serving in this role. I want to thank everyone at the Arnold Palmer Cup and GCAA for this opportunity. For the rest of my life I won’t ever forget this week!”
