The No. 15 Florida men’s golf team is gearing up to compete in a competitive 21-team field beginning Friday, Feb. 12.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida men’s golf team returns home to compete in their lone home event of the season as they prepare for the 44th annual Gators Invitational presented by VyStar, slotted to begin on Friday, Feb. 12 and continuing through the 14th.
Format
This three-day tournament will feature 54 holes of stroke play with one round being held each day. Due to expected inclement weather, a shotgun start will be implemented on Friday with the first golfer teeing it up at 8:30 a.m. ET off of the first, fourth, seventh, tenth, thirteenth and sixteenth holes.
Course Information
The tournament is being held at the Par 70, 6,701 yard Mark Bostick Golf Course. MBGC was designed in the 1920s by Donald Ross and underwent a $4 million renovation project in 2001 by Bobby Weed. The course has been home to the University of Florida men’s and women’s golf teams since 1962.
How to Follow:
Fans are encouraged to attend the three-day event and admission is free. Masks are required at all times while on the course and social distancing is expected. Updates will be provided on GolfStat.com and Twitter via @GatorsGolf. A complete recap with full results will be posted on FloridaGators.com at the conclusion of each day of play.
The Gators’ Lineup:
No. 1 – Ricky Castillo
No. 2 – Yuxin Lin
No. 3 – Joe Pagdin
No. 4 – Fred Biondi
No. 5. – Tyler Wilkes
Ind. – Gio Manzoni
Ind. – Manny Girona
Ind. – Carlos Bustos
Ind. – John DuBois
Ind. – Christophe Stutts
The Field (via Golfstat Rankings*)
No. 1 Vanderbilt
No. 3 Georgia
No. 4 Tennessee
No. 6 Arkansas
No. 8 Auburn
No. 9 Alabama
No. 11 Georgia Southern
No. 12 South Carolina
No. 15 Florida
No. 16 LSU
No. 21 Mississippi State
Coastal Carolina
Jacksonville
Liberty
Penn State
Missouri
UCF
UNF
USF
West Virginia
Washington
*Golfstat rankings currently only include teams who competed during the Fall 2020 season.
Tournament History
This is the 44th time in history that Florida has hosted the Gators Invitational. Of the previous 43 outings, the Gators have captured the title 26 times.
Head coach J.C. Deacon cliinched his first home win last season when the Florida Gators won both the team and individual title. Freshman Ricky Castillo beat the field with a career-low 197 (-13). This victory marked the first time that Florida had emerged victorious since 2011.
Last Time Out
Florida headed out to Jacksonville at the end of January to compete in their first tournament since concluding the fall season in Vestavia Hills, Ala. at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate. Behind the effort of two freshmen and a sophomore transfer, the Gators clinched their first team title since emerging victorious at the 2020 Gators Invitational – beating Liberty in a two-hole team playoff.
Sophomore Ricky Castillo led the way for the Gators, sparking the 2021 Spring season similarly to how he began his 2020 spring campaign – with a top-10 result. The California native finished with a 6-under par total score of 210 to sit in a tie for eighth place individually.
Manny Girona made his first appearance in the Gators lineup for the 2020-21 season, finishing tied for a career-best 15th place behind a 4-under par 212.
Individually, the Gators placed four athletes within the top-25.
Safety Protocols at Mark Bostick Golf Course
The following safety protocols will be in place at all times during the event:
* Spectators will be required to wear masks at all times when on-site at the tournament.
* A physical distance of 6 feet between spectators and coaches/student-athletes is required at all times.
* The Mark Bostick Clubhouse Proshop will be open and have limited restroom access during the tournament. Masks are required.
* The Mark Bostick Snack Bar will be closed for spectators. Use is limited to coaches and student-athletes.
* Hand sanitizer dispensers are positioned in and around the golf course and clubhouse.
* Golf carts for spectators with disabilities are available through the Mark Bostick Proshop. The cost of a cart is $25.00 plus tax per day. Handicapped visitors must have a doctor’s request and/or proof of disability statement faxed to the golf course.
Up Next
Florida will travel to Baton Rouge, La. to compete in the LSU Invitational, slotted to begin on Feb. 26 and continuing throughout the weekend.
Follow the Gators
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