Freshman Sam Horsfield talks to Gators head coach J.C. Deacon during the SunTrust Gator Invitational. Horsfield shot a 63 in the first round and finished second overall. (Photo: Jim Burgess/UAA)
Horsfield Made Mark in First Gator Invitational
Sunday, February 21, 2016 | Men's Golf, Scott Carter
The UF freshman finished second, catapulted by a first-round 63
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sam Horsfield is no stranger to those embedded in the golf community.
Before he took his first swing as a member of the UF men's golf team, Horsfield was already considered one of the game's top up-and-coming American players. He won the Florida State Amateur in 2013 by 11 shots, the youngest winner in the event's 96-year history.
He won a state title and a junior title growing up in Davenport, Fla., in Polk County, and last summer competed in the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.
Horsfield clearly has game.
After Horsfield made his Gators debut five months ago by finishing fourth in the Carpet Capital Collegiate, Florida head coach J.C. Deacon offered a glimpse of what was to come.
"He's really, really good at golf,'' Deacon said. "That's the only way I can put it."
As for those not entrenched in the game on a daily basis, Horsfield perhaps grabbed their attention this weekend during the SunTrust Invitational at UF's Mark Bostick Golf Course. In the Gators' only home tournament of the season, Horsfield fired a 7-under 63 in the first round Saturday.
How good is that?
Well, they have been playing the Gator Invitational since 1978 and only five others had matched that score previously.
One is David Peege of Ole Miss, who set the tournament record 31 years ago with a 62. The four others to shoot a 63 prior to Horsfield are South Carolina's David Seawell (1996), Florida's Steve Scott (1999), Mississippi State's Alex Rocha (2000) and Georgia Southern's Travis Mobley (2001).
Horsfield's first round Saturday caught the attention of Scott, who is now the head professional at Paramount Country Club in New York.
The Gators owned a one-stroke lead at the start of play Sunday, and Horsfield held a two-shot advantage in the individual standings after following his opening-round 63 with a second-round 68.
During Sunday's final round, the Gators remained steady while the University of South Florida and Vanderbilt cranked it up. USF shot 13-under on Sunday, one stroke better than Vanderbilt, to claim its second consecutive tournament title. Meanwhile, the Gators shot 3-under as a team and finished third, a shot behind Vanderbilt.
As for Horsfield, he shot an even-par 70 to finish 9-under for the tournament. However, USF's Rigel Fernandes shot a 6-under 64 to storm ahead and win the individual crown by four strokes. Fernandes shot 63-64 in the final two rounds to finish 13-under, one shot off the tournament record set by Florida's Camilo Benedetti in 2001.
The 19-year-old Horsfield was disappointed but not crushed. He won Florida's last tournament and continues to flash the kind of potential that makes you wonder what his future holds.
"I got off to a bad start,'' said Horsfield, who had two bogeys on the front nine. "I didn't hit quite the shots I was looking for. I only hit two greens out of the first seven. My goal was to hit a lot of greens and give myself a lot of looks."
Deacon watched as Horsfield shot a 1-under on the back nine to regroup. However, there was no catching the Bulls, who defended their title with an impressive outing.
"There's a little bit of disappointment,'' Deacon said. "I think all of us had high expectations for this week and wanted to win. We just got outplayed by a great South Florida team. Hats off to them for playing some outstanding golf. Our guys did everything we could. We just came out a little flat this morning."
Including Horsfield.
You can be sure that will be on his mind when the Gators resume tournament play March 7 at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas.
"To play at the University of Florida on the golf team, you've got to be really good at golf, so anybody can really beat anybody,'' Horsfield said. "I have some things to work on that I wasn't quite happy with some of the things I did. I wasn't quite executing my shots the way I saw them.
"All in all, it was a great week and I'm going to take a lot of positives out of it."
That's the way Deacon saw it, too. He was impressed with the way his young team played and battled to stay near the top after their shaky start Sunday.
"I think this is just the beginning,'' he said.
Deacon was talking about the Gators as a whole, but in many ways, he could have been talking about Horsfield. Better days are ahead for the freshman who played his way into the tournament record books.
Before he took his first swing as a member of the UF men's golf team, Horsfield was already considered one of the game's top up-and-coming American players. He won the Florida State Amateur in 2013 by 11 shots, the youngest winner in the event's 96-year history.
He won a state title and a junior title growing up in Davenport, Fla., in Polk County, and last summer competed in the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.
Horsfield clearly has game.
After Horsfield made his Gators debut five months ago by finishing fourth in the Carpet Capital Collegiate, Florida head coach J.C. Deacon offered a glimpse of what was to come.
"He's really, really good at golf,'' Deacon said. "That's the only way I can put it."
As for those not entrenched in the game on a daily basis, Horsfield perhaps grabbed their attention this weekend during the SunTrust Invitational at UF's Mark Bostick Golf Course. In the Gators' only home tournament of the season, Horsfield fired a 7-under 63 in the first round Saturday.
How good is that?
Well, they have been playing the Gator Invitational since 1978 and only five others had matched that score previously.
One is David Peege of Ole Miss, who set the tournament record 31 years ago with a 62. The four others to shoot a 63 prior to Horsfield are South Carolina's David Seawell (1996), Florida's Steve Scott (1999), Mississippi State's Alex Rocha (2000) and Georgia Southern's Travis Mobley (2001).
Horsfield's first round Saturday caught the attention of Scott, who is now the head professional at Paramount Country Club in New York.
Nice work Sam Horsfield! Go Gators! https://t.co/HTqJ1rWSAM
— Steve Scott (@sscottpga) February 20, 2016
The Gators owned a one-stroke lead at the start of play Sunday, and Horsfield held a two-shot advantage in the individual standings after following his opening-round 63 with a second-round 68.
During Sunday's final round, the Gators remained steady while the University of South Florida and Vanderbilt cranked it up. USF shot 13-under on Sunday, one stroke better than Vanderbilt, to claim its second consecutive tournament title. Meanwhile, the Gators shot 3-under as a team and finished third, a shot behind Vanderbilt.
As for Horsfield, he shot an even-par 70 to finish 9-under for the tournament. However, USF's Rigel Fernandes shot a 6-under 64 to storm ahead and win the individual crown by four strokes. Fernandes shot 63-64 in the final two rounds to finish 13-under, one shot off the tournament record set by Florida's Camilo Benedetti in 2001.
The 19-year-old Horsfield was disappointed but not crushed. He won Florida's last tournament and continues to flash the kind of potential that makes you wonder what his future holds.
"I got off to a bad start,'' said Horsfield, who had two bogeys on the front nine. "I didn't hit quite the shots I was looking for. I only hit two greens out of the first seven. My goal was to hit a lot of greens and give myself a lot of looks."
Deacon watched as Horsfield shot a 1-under on the back nine to regroup. However, there was no catching the Bulls, who defended their title with an impressive outing.
"There's a little bit of disappointment,'' Deacon said. "I think all of us had high expectations for this week and wanted to win. We just got outplayed by a great South Florida team. Hats off to them for playing some outstanding golf. Our guys did everything we could. We just came out a little flat this morning."
Including Horsfield.
You can be sure that will be on his mind when the Gators resume tournament play March 7 at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas.
"To play at the University of Florida on the golf team, you've got to be really good at golf, so anybody can really beat anybody,'' Horsfield said. "I have some things to work on that I wasn't quite happy with some of the things I did. I wasn't quite executing my shots the way I saw them.
"All in all, it was a great week and I'm going to take a lot of positives out of it."
That's the way Deacon saw it, too. He was impressed with the way his young team played and battled to stay near the top after their shaky start Sunday.
"I think this is just the beginning,'' he said.
Deacon was talking about the Gators as a whole, but in many ways, he could have been talking about Horsfield. Better days are ahead for the freshman who played his way into the tournament record books.
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