Sam Horsfield's victory on Sunday marked his third title of the spring season.
Horsfield Captures Third Title at Mason Rudolph Championship
Sunday, April 3, 2016 | Men's Golf
FRANKLIN, Tenn. – University of Florida freshman golfer Sam Horsfield used a tournament-low round of 5-under 66 to win the Mason Rudolph Championship on Sunday with a total of -7 (206). Freshman Gordon Neale earned collegiate-best runner-up honors, and the 1-2 individual finishes helped No. 8 Florida place second as a team.
The Gators carded a 5-under 279 in the final round to wrap up the tournament with a -4 (848). Although they posted the lowest team scores in both the second and third rounds, it wasn't enough to overcome Vanderbilt's 9-under par opening round. In a contest that came down to the final holes, the Commodores edged the Gators by one stroke to clinch the title at the Vanderbilt Legends Club.
Horsfield's 4-under par back nine fueled his charge to the top of the leaderboard. The win marked his third individual title this spring and makes Horsfield the only UF freshman since 1977 to win three tournaments in a single season. The victories grant Horsfield entry into an elite group of Gators with at least three single-season titles since 1977, including Chris DiMarco (1990), Brian Gay (1992), Steve Scott (1999), Camilo Villegas (2002) and Bank Vongvanij (2011).
Neale recorded a 1-under 70 on Sunday to finish as the runner-up with a total of 5-under 208, his best finish and score in his three tournaments at Florida. Jorge Garcia was the third UF freshman to place in the top 15. He finished 13th after shooting a 1-under 70 in the final round, good for his seventh top-20 performance of the year.
Up next, the Orange and Blue will compete in the SEC Championship, held at the Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons, Ga., April 15-17.
Head Coach JC Deacon
On Sam Horsfield's win:
"The year Sam is putting together is incredible. To shoot 66 in the final round today and play like he did was amazing. It was another big brick in the foundation that he's building. I'm really happy for him."
On Gordon Neale's runner-up finish:
"Gordon just played fantastic all of this week and was rock solid for the team. It's really exciting any time you have your players finish first and second, so I'm happy for those guys. I'm really proud of the work they've put in to see these results."
On the team's runner-up finish:
"We played really well today, but we just didn't finish. Great teams find a way to finish and get the job done. We fell one shot short to a great Vanderbilt team, but that tournament was ours to win today coming down the stretch. I know the guys are really disappointed, but we'll use it as motivation for SECs and the postseason. I think we're really close to playing our best golf of the year."
The Orange and Blue Crew: Final Florida Scores
1. Sam Horsfield -7 (70-70-66=206)
2. Gordon Neale -5 (70-68-70=208)
13. Jorge Garcia +3 (72-74-70=216)
T32. Alejandro Tosti +9 (71-78-73=222)
T53. Ryan Orr +13 (73-74-79=226)
Tournament Field Results: Final Team Standings
1. Vanderbilt -5 (847)
2. FLORIDA -4 (848)
3. Alabama +9 (861)
4. UAB +21 (873)
5. Memphis +27 (879)
6. East Tennessee State +29 (881)
T7. Ball State +32 (884)
T7. Lamar +32 (884)
9. SMU +36 (888)
10. Liberty +39 (891)
T11. Middle Tennessee State +47 (899)
T11. West Virginia +47 (899)
13. Rice +50 (902)
14. Samford +59 (911)
Follow the Gators:
Official Website: FloridaGators.com
Facebook: Florida Gators Men's Golf
Twitter: @GatorsGolf
Instagram: @GatorsMGolf
The Gators carded a 5-under 279 in the final round to wrap up the tournament with a -4 (848). Although they posted the lowest team scores in both the second and third rounds, it wasn't enough to overcome Vanderbilt's 9-under par opening round. In a contest that came down to the final holes, the Commodores edged the Gators by one stroke to clinch the title at the Vanderbilt Legends Club.
Horsfield's 4-under par back nine fueled his charge to the top of the leaderboard. The win marked his third individual title this spring and makes Horsfield the only UF freshman since 1977 to win three tournaments in a single season. The victories grant Horsfield entry into an elite group of Gators with at least three single-season titles since 1977, including Chris DiMarco (1990), Brian Gay (1992), Steve Scott (1999), Camilo Villegas (2002) and Bank Vongvanij (2011).
Neale recorded a 1-under 70 on Sunday to finish as the runner-up with a total of 5-under 208, his best finish and score in his three tournaments at Florida. Jorge Garcia was the third UF freshman to place in the top 15. He finished 13th after shooting a 1-under 70 in the final round, good for his seventh top-20 performance of the year.
Up next, the Orange and Blue will compete in the SEC Championship, held at the Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons, Ga., April 15-17.
Head Coach JC Deacon
On Sam Horsfield's win:
"The year Sam is putting together is incredible. To shoot 66 in the final round today and play like he did was amazing. It was another big brick in the foundation that he's building. I'm really happy for him."
On Gordon Neale's runner-up finish:
"Gordon just played fantastic all of this week and was rock solid for the team. It's really exciting any time you have your players finish first and second, so I'm happy for those guys. I'm really proud of the work they've put in to see these results."
On the team's runner-up finish:
"We played really well today, but we just didn't finish. Great teams find a way to finish and get the job done. We fell one shot short to a great Vanderbilt team, but that tournament was ours to win today coming down the stretch. I know the guys are really disappointed, but we'll use it as motivation for SECs and the postseason. I think we're really close to playing our best golf of the year."
The Orange and Blue Crew: Final Florida Scores
1. Sam Horsfield -7 (70-70-66=206)
2. Gordon Neale -5 (70-68-70=208)
13. Jorge Garcia +3 (72-74-70=216)
T32. Alejandro Tosti +9 (71-78-73=222)
T53. Ryan Orr +13 (73-74-79=226)
Tournament Field Results: Final Team Standings
1. Vanderbilt -5 (847)
2. FLORIDA -4 (848)
3. Alabama +9 (861)
4. UAB +21 (873)
5. Memphis +27 (879)
6. East Tennessee State +29 (881)
T7. Ball State +32 (884)
T7. Lamar +32 (884)
9. SMU +36 (888)
10. Liberty +39 (891)
T11. Middle Tennessee State +47 (899)
T11. West Virginia +47 (899)
13. Rice +50 (902)
14. Samford +59 (911)
Follow the Gators:
Official Website: FloridaGators.com
Facebook: Florida Gators Men's Golf
Twitter: @GatorsGolf
Instagram: @GatorsMGolf
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