UF MGOLF: Gators Show Heart, Resilience as they Punch Ticket to NCAA Championships

Florida battles back in final round to secure ticket to Arizona behind leadership from Ricky Castillo.

CLE ELUM, Wash. – The Florida men’s golf team has punched its ticket to Scottsdale after a phenomenal team effort in the final round propelled the team into fifth place, qualifying the team for the NCAA Championships that begin on Friday, May 28.

As he did all week, Ricky Castillo stepped up for the Gators when his name was called. After carding two bogeys and a double-bogey through seven holes, the sophomore flashed the talent and skill that garners his phenomenal reputation. On the eighth hole, he recorded an eagle and on the ninth, a birdie. On the back nine, Castillo carded four birdies against only one bogey and finished the day 2-under par and tied for 6th individually.

Tyler Wilkes carded his best round of the week on the day his team needed him most, making the turn 4-under par after carding three birdies and an eagle against only one bogey. The freshman battled on the back nine and finished the day 1-under par. Overall, his 4-over par 217 landed him in a tie for 22nd place.

Giovanni Manzoni and Yuxin Lin both finished the week 4-over par alongside Wilkes. Manzoni buckled down to record his best finish of the day with an even scorecard in the final 18 holes.

Joe Pagdin finished the three-day tournament 7-over par and tied for 39th place.

Head Coach JC Deacon’s Take
“Wow! What a day! I’ve got to give credit to my guys, that’s the most resilient I’ve ever seen them. The NCAA shipped us across the country to play on grass we rarely see in weather conditions we NEVER get to play in and my guys found a way to get it done. That’s so awesome.”

On Denver…
“Hats off to Denver, who just wouldn’t go away. They threw everything at us. We needed our absolute best down the stretch to get the job done.”

On Ricky Castillo…
“That 75-footer that Ricky made for birdie up the last is a putt I won’t ever forget for the rest of my life. He’s our leader and he came through when we needed him the most.”

On what’s next…
“I’m thankful to still have a chance to win the National Championship, by goodness we need to play so much better than we did this week. Go Gators!”

Team Leaderboard
Position

Team

R1

R2

R3

Total

1

East Tennessee St.

280

270

288

838 (-14)

2

San Francisco

278

283

287

848 (-4)

3

Wake Forest

278

287

285

850 (-2)

4

Pepperdine

279

289

283

851 (-1)

5

Florida

284

290

284

858 (+6)

6

Denver

284

286

291

861 (+9)

T7

Washington

280

282

305

867 (+15)

T7

Utah

283

285

299

867 (+15)

9

Arizona

291

290

293

867 (+22)

10

Oregon

282

293

301

876 (+24)

11

Iowa

289

303

285

877 (+25)

12

Long Beach State

288

298

296

882 (+30)

13

Mississippi State

288

298

296

882 (+43)

14

Sacramento State

293

DNF

Player Leaderboard
Position

Name

R1

R2

R3

Total

T6

Ricky Castillo

68

73

69

210 (-3)

T22

Yuxin Lin

70

73

74

217 (+4)

T22

Gio Manzoni

73

73

71

217 (+4)

T22

Tyler Wilkes

73

74

70

217 (+4)

T39

Joe Pagdin

75

73

74

220 (+7)

Up Next: The Gators will continue their season when they travel to Scottsdale, Ariz. to compete in the NCAA Championships, scheduled to begin on Friday, May 28 and continue through Wednesday, June 2.

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