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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