New Faces, Same Tradition
Wednesday, October 10, 2001 | Men's Golf
As the 2001-02 Gator Golf team takes its first steps into the new season, a new group of golfers step forward as well. After having a spectacular season last year, finishing second in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and winning the NCAA Tournament, the team has big shoes to fill this year. With all but one of the six national championship team members returning, the team still has a strong backbone, heading into this season.
With a big gap left by graduated captain, Nick Gilliam, Florida now looks to its new recruits to step in that space. Of those new Gators on the team, transfer students Ari Savolainen and Duke Butler IV, are expected to step up to the spotlight to help the Gators keep their National Team Title.
"We were hopeful that Ari would be an impact on the team," Head Coach Buddy Alexander said. "All indications after this first tournament are that he did and will hopefully continue to do so, which is a good sign for us as a team."
"These past tournaments were a learning experience," Savolainen said. "We didn't do as well as we would have hoped to, but that can be expected from any team. The first tournaments are always an awkward experience because you are trying to get used to competitive playing, not only as an individual, but as a team.
Savolainen began his journey into golf at a fairly young age, but his reasons for playing were a bit different than one could imagine. His first love is hockey, which is everyone's passion in his hometown of Helsinki, Finland. Realizing that hockey was much harder than it looked, Savolainen decided to quit and take up golf. The game entailed too much contact, so Ari decided that his future lay with golf, although he is quick to say that his soul still lies with hockey.
"The staff provides the best program in the nation and has put together one of the best teams in the SEC," Savolainen said. "I wanted to be challenged, and this was the perfect place for me. The university is amazing, and it is definitely the right place for me."
Along with Savolainen, Butler also stands out as one of the top newcomers to the team. As a transfer student from Texas A&M, Butler decided to attend the University of Florida because he felt that it was a perfect place for any golfer to be.
"I attended high school in Florida, but decided to attend Texas A&M because so many people from my family went there," Butler said. "After playing for a year, I realized that I wanted to attend UF because the Gators are the best in the nation and they have the best facilities in the country. Plus the coaching staff is the best you can find."
Originally from Houston, Texas, Butler has been playing since he was old enough to hold a golf club. His love for the sport developed at a very young age while watching his father play. His comments on what he sees for himself and for the team this season are very positive.
"My main goal is to improve to the level where I can become a starter in every tournament," Butler said. "I would love to have the opportunity to play in every tournament and hopefully in doing so, improve my game by playing with the best in the nation."
With his return to the Sunshine State, Butler feels more comfortable, because he is closer to home, reuniting with some of his former friends form high school. He is excited to be a Florida Gator and looks forward to hitting the links with his new teammates. Along with his team, Butler has much respect for the coaching staff at the university.
"Coach Alexander is one of the main reasons I came to Florida," Butler said. "Not only is he an outstanding player, but he knows the game better then anyone I know. He has a formula that works, and he always has a plan that is being put into action."
Along with these two new outstanding players, the talented core of last year's National Champion team returns for a new season. Those top returning players to keep watching are Bubba Dickerson, Camilo Benedetti, Camilo Villegas and Ben Banks. Each of these returning players has a great deal of experience under his belt and hopes to break even more records this season.
Dickerson, who had one of the best seasons of his career last year, returns after winning the 2001 U.S. Amateur Championship. Dickerson did not play for the first part of the season last year, but joined the competitive level in the spring, putting in a tremendous performance. Benedetti hopes to make his last season as a Gator a memorable one. He would like to end this season winning a few individual titles, as well as the SEC and the NCAA for the team. For the most part, he believes that his time here has been well spent. He feels he has benefited from the coaching staff, whom he believes has helped his game more then ever.
"I just can't say enough about Coach [Alexander]," Benedetti said. "He is a terrific guy, who really knows his game. He is always there for any one of us, no matter if it deals with golf or personal matters. Coach [Alexander] loves to teach whenever he can, and he has certainly taught me a great deal."
Villegas, who had an outstanding freshman year, was named freshman of the year as well as being named to the first team All-American, becoming only the fourth Gator to do so.
"We don't have anyone quite like Villegas this year, but then again we have never had anyone quite like him either," Coach Alexander said. "We knew coming in that Camilo was a special player. He had done some impressive work in South America, and here in the US. He became a runner up in the U.S. Junior, both the stroke and the match play, and placing in the top five in world junior. He was certainly a surprise. We knew we had a heck of a player."
Ben Banks, who also had a very good season last year, returns this year hoping to keep his spot as a regular starter. He sees the new players coming in as very competent and able to stand up to the prestige of the team.
"Well, Ari seems to be a very competent player," Banks said. "He knows the game well and seems to have a good background and have a good future with us. The rest of the newcomers appear to have a lot of potential and will hopefully have an opportunity to help us keep our National Title, that way we have some more experienced players next year."
Banks joined the Gator Golf team as a walk-on in the 1997-98 season, but did not see too much tournament action until the 1999-2000 season, where he put in some impressive performances.
"Hopefully we will do even better this season than last, but then again last season was almost perfect," Banks said. "We have become more mature and have more players that are more experienced, so we are really hoping for some more tournament wins."
Alexander, who has coached two National Champion teams, provides the drive in the Gator attack. Heading into his 15th season as the head coach, he is delighted with the outcome of last season and can only hope that this season the Gators will step up to the challenge.
"Last year was kind of a dream come true for any coach," Alexander said. "Every coach, every athlete dreams of playing their best when it matters most. We started out ranked No. 11 and after the fall we had fallen all the way to 24th. I knew we were better then that. In the NCAA tournament we played our absolute best without any question and we won. It is always a dream as a coach to see such hard work pay off."
His goal, like any coach in the profession, is to win as many tournaments during the regular season as possible. He also hopes to end the season with wins at the SEC and the NCAA Championships.
"The proof is in the outcome," says Alexander. "I do what I think is best for the team every year and every day. I have had a lot of fun and a very rewarding career. Do I want to do better then I have in the past? Absolutely, you better believe it. I think that is what drives me and that is what makes this job fun for me. All that I can ever do is the best that I can do, and all that I can ever hope for is that it will continue to be enough."
Further comments from Coach Buddy Alexander:
His comments on plans for this season:
"This year, we are pretty much doing what we do any year. Working individually with every player, and making sure that their improvement can benefit the team. Even though some may not play this year, their place on the team is very beneficial for the future. We have four true freshmen this year on our team and we are going to work very had with them as well as those who find themselves solidly in the line-up, such as Benedetti, Villegas, and Bubba Dickerson. We are going to put them against each other in qualifiers, to determine who plays in tournaments, so that you have an opportunity to test them in as close to tournament situations as possible. Then you just work with them as a team and as individuals as much as possible in the hopes of getting better."
Comments on the success of Bubba Dickerson:
"Bubba is a fun kid to work with. No one has more passion for the game then Bubba. He came in with good credentials, and has become a good solid player. Really solid last spring, which was what we could have hoped for. We are tickled to death for Bubba, really proud. It is a gratifying thing to see him do so well."
