No. 2 Gators to Compete in Valspar Collegiate

Monday, March 21

Palm City, FL

All Day

Florida Gators

Valspar Collegiate

Senior Richard Donegan placed fifth at the FGCU Classic.

No. 2 Gators to Compete in Valspar Collegiate

Sunday, March 20, 2016 | Men's Golf

By: Emily Padgett

PALM CITY, Fla. - The No. 2 University of Florida men's golf team will once again be tested by some of the best squads in the country when it tees off the Valspar Collegiate on Monday.

Florida is coming off a runner-up finish at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas that featured nine of the top 25 teams. When the Gators compete in Palm City, Fla., this week, they will be one of 10 schools in the field that appear in Golfweek's top 25.

Florida has not finished outside of the top three during the spring season and looks to extend its streak of six consecutive top-five finishes at the Floridian Golf Club. The Orange and Blue only competed at the Valspar Collegiate once before, placing 14th in 2014.

Sam Horsfield will sit atop the Gators' lineup. Currently the highest-ranked freshman in the country at No. 5, Horsfield is coming off of a four-stroke individual title at the Southern Highlands Collegiate that earned him SEC Freshman of the Week honors. The victory was his second in UF's last three tournaments and marked his fourth-straight top-three finish.

Freshman Jorge Garcia will play in the second lineup spot. He finished tied for 19th in Las Vegas and has been a solid contributor for Florida with six straight top-20 performances. Another freshman, Kyler Tate, will play No. 3. He rejoined the Gators' lineup for the Southern Highlands tournament after an impressive seventh-place finish at home in the SunTrust Gator Invitational.

Senior Richard Donegan joins the lineup for Florida for the first time during the 2015-16 season. He's participated as an individual in two events, most notably at the FGCU Classic, where he placed fifth. Redshirt-junior A.J. Crouch will close out the lineup in the fifth spot. He's coming off a strong finish at the SunTrust Gator Invitational in which he went 4-under par on the final round's back nine to place 12th.

For the 83 golfers participating in the tournament, there's more at stake than just a trophy, as the winner will receive an exemption into the 2017 Valspar Championship.

Head Coach JC Deacon
On the Gators:
"They're clutch right now. They're playing some really good golf when they need to, so it's exciting for us to be a part of it."

On Sam Horsfield's leadership:
"He gets up in the morning, and he wants to win, and he'll do anything to do it. I hope he's really rubbing off on his teammates. I think he is. He is truly special, and he loves the game of golf. He makes it look so easy. It's natural for him, and we are very, very fortunate to have him."

Course Information: The Floridian Golf Club is a par-71, 7,114-yard course.

Tournament Information: The tournament will run Monday-Tuesday and is hosted by Houston.

Format: The event is a two-day, 54-hole stroke play tournament, with 36 holes played on Monday and 18 played on Tuesday. The tournament will open with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. on Monday.

The Gators' Lineup
Sam Horsfield (Davenport, Fla.)
Jorge Garcia (Anaco, Venezuela)
Kyler Tate (Winter Garden, Fla.)
Richard Donegan (Okeechobee, Fla.)
A.J. Crouch (Jacksonville, Fla.)

Eyeing the Competition: The field consists of 15 teams, including five from the SEC and 10 ranked in the top 25.

Tournament Field (Golfweek Ranking):
Arkansas (23)
Clemson (8)
FLORIDA (2)
Florida State (9)
Georgia Tech (31)
Houston (40)
Illinois (1)
Kent State (54)
LSU (20)
Memphis (38)
Oklahoma State (12)
Texas (4)
Texas A&M (33)
South Carolina (18)
South Florida (13)

Follow the Gators: Live scoring will be available on GolfStat.com. A complete recap with full results will be posted on FloridaGators.com following the day's play.

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