Florida looks to Improve at Seminole Intercollegiate
Thursday, March 12, 2015 | Men's Golf
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida men's golf team returns to action Friday, when it takes on the 17-team field at the Seminole Intercollegiate in Tallahassee, Fla. Hosted by Florida State at the SouthWood Golf Course, the three-day tournament features five ranked teams.
Less than a week ago, the Gators placed fourth at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate in Scottsdale, Ariz. A.J. Crouch, J.D. Tomlinson and Alejandro Tosti finished in the top-10 at that event. The trio will lead the Seminole Intercollegiate lineup and will be joined by Ryan Orr, who had a team-high two eagles at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate, and Thomas Stewart, who returns to the lineup for the first time since the fall season.
Head Coach JC Deacon
On the team's progress:
“We're getting there. It's just these details, it really is. I truly believe that if we can do the little things right off the course – the things that are hard, that people want to procrastinate about – if we can get those things done right away and make sure that our practice is effective and we're not just wasting time and shots here and there, that's going to be the difference. I know this team is good enough to compete at the highest level if we take care of those details. If we don't, we could just be an average team. I'm really urging them to focus on those aspects in their lives, and if they do, I'm excited to see what we can do because I really think this group's really coming together. The talent's there, we just need to clean it up.”
On starting to use a more consistent lineup:
“I think J.D. (Tomlinson), Alejandro (Tosti) and A.J. (Crouch) have really solidified their place in the lineup. J.D. has just been phenomenal. He's come so far since I first met him. I think he's probably the player on the team that I've been the toughest on, but he's really responded. He's becoming a leader. Obviously, his play on the course is outstanding. A.J. Crouch had another top-10 this week, which is just unbelievable. He's so consistent now. He didn't even play all that great this weekend, and he was still able to achieve that result. Alejandro had a 69 the last round and slipped into the top-10. Those three are really solid.”
Course Information: The SouthWood Golf Course is a par-72, 7,172-yard course.
Tournament Information: The tournament will run Friday-Sunday, March 13-15, and is hosted by Florida State.
Format: Three-day, 54-hole tournament, with 18 holes played each day. Tee times begin Friday at 8:30 a.m.
The Gators' Lineup:
A.J. Crouch (Jacksonville, Fla.)
J.D. Tomlinson (Gainesville, Fla.)
Alejandro Tosti (Rosario, Argentina)
Ryan Orr (Belleair, Fla.)
Thomas Stewart (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.)
Eyeing the Competition: The field consists of 17 teams from 11 conferences. Five squads are ranked in the top 25 and two are ranked in the top five.
Tournament Field (Golfweek's Top 25):
Cincinnati
East Tennessee State
FLORIDA
Florida State (2)
George Washington
Georgia Tech (4)
Illinois State
Jacksonville
James Madison
Louisville
Mercer
Penn State
South Carolina (14)
Troy
USF (8)
Virginia (24)
Western Kentucky
Follow the Gators: Live scoring will be available on GolfStat.com. A complete recap with full results will be posted on GatorZone.com following the day's play.
For complete coverage of the Gators' men's golf program, visit GatorZone.com, follow @GatorZoneGolf on Twitter and 'like' the University of Florida Men's Golf page on Facebook.
