Play begins on Monday, May 13 at Birck Boilermaker Golf Course
INDIANAPOLIS – The Florida men’s golf team was selected to the West Lafayette Regional as the No. 3 seed, the NCAA announced Wednesday in conjunction with Golf Channel.
This marks the fourth straight year the Gators have been a top-3 seed in regionals and the seventh time under head coach J.C. Deacon.
The three-day event will consist of 54 holes (18 each day) that starts on Monday, May 15 at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex hosted by Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. At the conclusion of play, 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 Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. from May 24-29. It will be the first of three years the finals are taking play at Omni La Costa, which will be hosted by the University of Texas.
A total of 81 teams and 45 individuals (not on a competing team) will play across six regional hosts – LSU, North Carolina, Purdue, San Diego, Stanford and Texas. Three regional sites will have 13 teams and 10 individuals and three will have 14 teams and five individuals.
The Gators have qualified for 34 of the 35 all-time men’s golf regionals and every year under Deacon as Florida won the inaugural East Regional (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) in 1989. UF has claimed a total of six team titles (1989, 1992, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2018) and six individual titles – Brain Gay (1993), Brad Lehmann (1994), Camilo Villegas (2001), Billy Horschel (2006 & 2007) and Andy Zhang (2018).
Florida concluded the first step of the postseason last week at the SEC Championship. The Gators reached match play for the third consecutive season after finishing 10-under and in 6th in stroke play. UF was led by true freshman Jack Turner, who posted a team-best T2 finish in his first conference tournament start. The performance ties the second-best finish by a Gator true freshman at the SEC Championship with Camilo Villegas, who placed T2 in 2001. That year the Gators won the SEC and National Team and Individual Championships just like last year.
Vanderbilt and Florida meet for third straight season in match play SEC Championship with the Commodores edging out the Gators 3-2 in extra holes in the quarterfinals.
After a shaky fall, the Gators responded with five wins in the spring to total six on the season. Florida recorded consecutive seasons with six wins for the first time since 1973-74 and 1974-75. UF ended the spring portion of the season with five tournament wins and a 4th place finish at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, that featured Ian Gilligan winning medalist honors and earning an exemption into the PGA Tour’s 2024 Shriners Open in October.
The Orange and Blue have now claimed 27 team titles under head coach J.C. Deacon in 10 seasons. This is the seventh season under Deacon UF has won multiple tournaments in a year and fourth of three-plus. Six tournament wins in a season is tied for the most under Deacon, which came last season and included an SEC and National Championship.
Of the last six regular season rounds, Florida has held the team lead and continued this week for a six-shot victory at Calusa Pines Golf Club. In the four stroke play tournament wins this spring, the Gators won by a combined 28 strokes. UF won the Pablo Collegiate Cup over Jacksonville 6-1 to start the spring season.
What they are saying about Florida:
“Florida loses three all-americans from that national championship team a season ago, I for one thought it could be a lean year in Gainesville and this past fall it was. They didn’t play any good to be quite honest and that’s according to J.C. Deacon their head coach, who I spoke with earlier today. He [Deacon] said it was the best thing that could ever happen. During the offseason and winter break they bonded, came together. He says they are the hardest working team he has ever had. The Gators have won four times this spring season. Showed a lot in Vegas (Southern Highlands Collegiate) although they didn’t win, a very strong field competing with many of the nation’s best. Deacon said while they are constructed differently, he does believe there is something special brewing and a good chance to get through regionals and ultimately back to match play.”
-Steve Burkowski, Golf Channel
West Lafayette Regional Teams (seed number)
No. 1 – Vanderbilt
No. 2 – Arizona
No. 3 – Florida
No. 4 – New Mexico
No. 5 – Purdue
No. 6 – San Diego State
No. 7 – Mississippi State
No. 8 – Indiana
No. 9 – College of Charleston
No. 10 – Stetson
No. 11 – Colorado State
No. 12 – Southern Illinois
No. 13 – Tennessee Tech
West Lafayette Individuals (seed number)
No. 1 – Caleb VanArragon, Valparaiso
No. 2 – Hunter Thomson, Michigan
No. 3 – Cameron Huss, Wisconsin
No. 4 – Barend Botha, Toledo
No. 5 – Valentin Peugnet, Illinois State
No. 6 – Owen Stamper, Middle Tennessee State
No. 7 – Alex McCulla, Illinois State
No. 8 – Ty Gingerich, Cincinnati
No. 9 – Luke Fuller, Western Kentucky
No. 10 – Ben Ortwein, Rider
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