The Gators will tee it up at 7:50 a.m. ET in the first round of competition, slated for Wednesday, April 21.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida men’s golf team will travel St. Simons Island this week to compete in the 90th annual SEC Championship. The Gators are set to tee it up beginning at 7:50 a.m. ET off the 10th tee in the first round of play on Wednesday, April 21. The tournament will continue through Sunday, April 25.
Format: The championship will feature three rounds of stroke play being played from Wednesday through Sunday. The top eight teams at the conclusion of stroke play will make the cut and continue into the weekend’s festivities. Saturday and Sunday will feature match play rounds between the remaining teams with a champion being crowned in the final match on Sunday, April 25.
Course Information: The SEC Championship is being held at the Par 72, 7,005-yard Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course in St. Simons Island. This marks the 20th year that the Southeastern Conference has held its men’s golf championship at this club. The Seaside Course was reconfigured by Tom Fazio in October 1999, blending two original courses into a seamless 18-hole layout that includes tidal creeks, dunes and saltmarshes. Seaside is home to the PGA TOUR’s McGladrey Classic.
How to Follow: Live scoring is available at GolfStat.com and updates will be provided on Twitter via @GatorsGolf. A complete recap with full results will be posted on FloridaGators.com and Twitter at the conclusion of each day of play.
Gators’ Lineup
No. 1 – Ricky Castillo (8:30 a.m.)
No. 2 – Yuxin Lin (8:20 a.m.)
No. 3 – Joe Pagdin (8:10 a.m.)
No. 4 – Tyler Wilkes (8 a.m.)
No. 5 – Fred Biondi (7:50 a.m.)
The Field (GolfStat Ranking)
No. 10 Georgia
No. 11 Texas A&M
No. 14 Auburn
No. 15 Vanderbilt
No. 17 Florida
No. 19 Tennessee
No. 22 Arkansas
No. 23 LSU
No. 37 Alabama
No. 40 Ole Miss
No. 44 Mississippi State
No. 48 South Carolina
No. 49 Missouri
No. 68 Kentucky
Tournament History: The inaugural SEC Championship took place in 1937 in Baton Rouge, La. LSU claimed the first title with a score of 614, while Vincent D’Antoni of Tulane captured the individual title after winning his match 1-up.
The Gators have collected 15 SEC titles over the years with their most recent victory occurring in 2011. Florida recorded a 16-under par 848 to beat the nearest competition, Alabama, by six strokes and take home the gold. The Gators also captured the individual title when Andres Echavarria carded a 6-under par 210.
Florida’s most recent individual championship occurred in 2018 when Andy Zhang took home the gold with an 11-under par 205 outing over three rounds of stroke play. This marked Florida’s second-straight individual championship as Alejandro Tosti had won the title the year prior with a 16-under par 200. The Gators have captured 22 total individual championships.
Last Time Out: The Gators traveled to Naples, Fla. to compete in the inaugural Calusa Cup, hosted by the University of Iowa. Collectively, the team tied for fourth place out of nine teams.
The freshmen flourished for the Gators, flexing their muscles and hitting their groove as postseason play loomed. One tournament after the worst performance of his collegiate career, Joe Pagdin shined brighter than ever. He recorded the best finish of his career, tying for fifth place behind a 1-under par 215 outing. Pagdin was one of just eight golfers in a field of 47 to finish with a score under par. He never dropped out of the top-five during the duration of the tournament.
Tyler Wilkes was next for the Gators, posting a 3-over par 219 to record his second-straight finish tied for 15th. Wilkes carded his lowest score of the tournament (72) on the last day of competition to propel himself into the top 15.
Fred Biondi and Ricky Castillo finished next in the Gators lineup, posting scores of 5-over par 221 to tie for 20th.
Yuxin Lin rounded out the Florida lineup, carding a 9-over par 225 to take sole possession of 28th.
Gio Manzoni, who played as an individual, finished a stroke off of Lin and tied for 29th.
Up Next: Florida will await its destination for the NCAA Regional Championships, set to be announced live on the Golf Channel at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 5.
