The Gators shot a 54-hole score of 814 (-26) for a 13-shot victory and third consecutive to start the spring.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida men’s golf showed its depth for its fifth consecutive victory at the Gators Invitational on Saturday at Mark Bostick Golf Course.
The Gators had two teams competing and finished 1-2 back-to-back years with Florida A winning with a 54-hole score of 814 (-26) and Florida B just three shots back. Last year it was a 14-shot difference between Florida’s teams. By rule the B Team does not count as a team finish therefore North Florida finishes in second, 13 shots behind.
Florida has now won their home tournament 30 times in its 47 years history. The 26-under performance is the fourth lowest by par in Gators Invitational history and tied 10th all-time in program history, which was last shot for Florida’s national championship title in 2001.
The victory is the fourth of the season and marks the 25th team title all-time under head coach J.C. Deacon in his 10th season. It is the third consecutive year Florida has won both the Sea Best and Gators Invitational in the same season. This is the seventh season under Deacon UF has won multiple tournaments in a season and fourth of three-plus. UF has won three straight tournaments to start the spring for the first time since 1999.
Nine Gators finished in the top-25, led by Ian Gilligan’s solo third. He has gone 2-3 to begin the spring campaign. Gilligan battled Ryan Hart and North Florida’s Nick Gabrelcik and Andrew Riley for the individual title with Gabrelcik ultimately winning with 197 (-13), the second-lowest in the tournament’s history.
Gilligan recorded all three rounds in the 60s – 69, 62, 69 for a tournament score of 10-under. Hart and him were tied for first the majority of the tournament before Hart’s birdie on 12 put him in the solo lead. He ran into some trouble the rest of the round to end 10th and 4-under for the weekend.
Three Gators placed right behind Gilligan in T6 at 5-under in Parker Bell, Jack Turner and Joe Pagdin.
Matthew Kress and Luke Poulter both tied for 11th with 2-under outings followed by Tyler Wilkes in T18 with a 210 (E) and a shot back was Quentin Debove in T21st. Just a stroke out of the top-25 was John DuBois in T27th.
The Gators return to action at the Southern Highlands Collegiate from Feb. 25-27.
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