No. 6 Gator Men’s Golf Ready for SEC Championship
Thursday, April 14, 2016 | Men's Golf
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – The No. 6 University of Florida men's golf team looks to claim its 16th SEC Championship title when it begins the postseason at the Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Ga., on Friday.
The Gators enter the conference tournament on the heels of a runner-up performance at the Mason Rudolph Championship. The squad wrapped up the regular season with seven top-five finishes, including two team victories and four individual titles.
Florida is seeking its 16th SEC Championship victory in program history and its first team and individual championships since 2011. The Gators own the most SEC Championship individual titles of any SEC school, hoisting the individual trophy 22 times.
UF will rely on third-ranked freshman standout Sam Horsfield to lead its lineup. Horsfield collected three victories in regular-season competition en route to being tabbed a Ben Hogan Award semifinalist on Wednesday. He is coming off a victory at the Mason Rudolph Championship that marked his third title in the past five tournaments. Horsfield holds the most wins and lowest stroke average (70.30) of all SEC freshmen and has only placed outside of the top 20 once this year.
Horsfield is one of three Gator freshmen on top of the Florida lineup, as Jorge Garcia will play in the No. 2 position and Gordon Neale will compete in the No. 3 spot. Garcia has been a consistent contributor for the Orange and Blue this season, appearing in every tournament and totaling seven top-25 finishes. Neale's playing time was limited in the fall due to injury, but he earned entry into the lineup after placing as the runner-up at UF's regular-season finale, the Mason Rudolph Championship.
Teeing off the conference championship in the fourth position is sophomore Alejandro Tosti, who won the individual title at the Florida Gulf Coast University Classic. With five top-20 finishes this year, junior Ryan Orr will play No. 5.
Tee times start at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, with the Gator lineup beginning to tee off at 9:10 a.m.
Head Coach JC Deacon
On the Gators' preparation for the SEC Championship:
"This is when I get the most excited as a coach. You see how hard they are working and the time they are putting in, and you just want those efforts to be rewarded. Hopefully, that comes this weekend."
On the course and the potential for wind and rain:
"I think it's a good golf course for us. The worse the conditions, the better for the Gators. I think we have been coaching "attitude" all year long. Our guys pride themselves on that, and no matter what the conditions are – wind, rain, cold – our guys are going to be ready. They don't complain about that stuff. They almost embrace it and hope that's it's there because that helps them get a little bit of an edge on everyone else."
Course Information: Sea Island Golf Club's Seaside Course is a par-70, 7,055-yard course.
Tournament Information: The Southeastern Conference will host the three-day, 54-hole stroke play tournament. The field will play 18 holes played each day.
Tee Times:
Friday Round 1: 7:30-9:50 a.m. tee times
Saturday Round 2: 7:30-9:50 a.m. tee times
Sunday Round 3: 7:30-9:50 a.m. tee times
The Gators' Lineup:
Sam Horsfield (Davenport, Fla.)
Jorge Garcia (Anaco, Venezuela)
Gordon Neale (Dove Canyon, Calif.)
Alejandro Tosti (Rosario, Argentina)
Ryan Orr (Belleair, Fla.)
Tournament Field (Golfweek Ranking):
Alabama (9)
Arkansas (23)
Auburn (13)
FLORIDA (6)
Georgia (3)
Kentucky
LSU (5)
Mississippi State
Missouri
Ole Miss
South Carolina (12)
Tennessee
Texas A&M
Vanderbilt (4)
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.
Official Website: FloridaGators.com
Facebook: Florida Gators Men's Golf
Twitter: @GatorsGolf
Instagram: @GatorsMGolf
Players Mentioned
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