Deacon: 'The Golf Course Won ... Our Talent is There'

Gators coach J.C. Deacon talks with Sam Horsfield during Sunday's final round of the SunTrust Gator Invitational. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)

Deacon: 'The Golf Course Won ... Our Talent is There'

Sunday, February 19, 2017 | Men's Golf, Scott Carter

The UF men's golf team didn't win the Gator SunTrust Invitational, but if the Gators can make some mental adjustments, head coach JC Deacon envisions a special end to the season.

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – They ended the fall season with a victory at the Tavistock Collegiate and started the spring campaign by winning the Sea Best Invitational.

So when the Gators opened play Saturday morning at the SunTrust Gator Invitational, they liked their chances in their only home tournament of the season and an event they last won six years ago.

"It was definitely gettable,'' UF senior Ryan Orr said.

On Sunday afternoon at the turn, Florida remained within striking distance of Arkansas, the same Razorbacks who finished three spots behind the Gators earlier this month in Ponte Vedra Beach at the Sea Best Invitational. Nevertheless, as Arkansas stayed steady in the final round, the Gators were too up and down to make a closing run despite a final-round 66 from junior Alejandro Tosti.

This time, the Gators finished fourth at 13-over-par, eight shots behind the first-place Razorbacks and a shot back of second-place Missouri and Jacksonville.

Individual champion Charles Kim, whose birdie on No. 18 Sunday clinched the title by a shot over Missouri's Roy Franssen, led Arkansas. Tosti and teammate Andy Zhang, playing as an individual and not counted toward the team score, tied for sixth at 1-over-par.

If the team scores seem high, that was by design.

Pin placement was extra difficult on Saturday and on Sunday the greens were firm and fast, quickened by a constant breeze and beaming sun after Saturday's overcast conditions. For perspective, USF won last year's tournament at 22-under-par, 27 shots fewer than Arkansas (+5) needed this year.

"The course was really hard. That was done on purpose,'' Gators coach J.C. Deacon said. "When we ran into adversity last year, that was the one thing that kind of slowed this team down. It was our one chance this week to create our own adversity. Our guys did not adapt well enough. We've got work to do. But we're going to be better."

Florida's fourth-place finish did nothing to diminish Deacon's enthusiasm about his third season with the Gators. He was disappointed they didn't win, but Deacon is confident this is a team capable of special things before the end of the season.

"I believe in this team more than I've believed in any team I've been around,'' Deacon said. "I know we have it. We've just got to be smarter. I believe in this group 100 percent."

One of only two seniors on the team, Orr understands where Deacon is coming from. Orr shot a 76 in Saturday's first round and followed that with a 72 in the second round. He shot a 71 on Sunday in his best round of the tournament.

Still, he departed Mark Bostick Golf Course knowing the Gators missed an opportunity.

"I think we were just a little too aggressive honestly,'' Orr said. "We're so used to shooting lower scores out here and so used to playing consistently under par, we'd get a couple of bogies, and all of a sudden we'd start firing at the pins we know we can't fire at. You can bogey half the holes out there easily and it just kind of crept up on us. As you can see, it bit us in the end."

37252 — UF senior Ryan Orr walks toward the 18th green in his final home tournament for the Gators. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)

With the tournament in the balance Sunday, Orr, Tosti, Sam Horsfield, Jorge Garcia and Gordon Neale – the five players included in the team score – fired seven bogies and only three birdies combined on the final six holes.

Arkansas owned a seven-shot lead over the Gators entering the final round, and while the Razorbacks' collective 279 was just one shot better than Florida's 280 in the final round, it was enough to win the Gator Invitational for the second time in four years.

Tosti's fast start Sunday gave the Gators hope.

He birdied six of his first 12 holes to move within view of Kim and Franssen on the leaderboard. However, Tosti was 1-over on his final six holes. Still, his sixth-place tie with teammate Zhang highlighted Florida's weekend.

"I was really focused on my round trying to put things together and try to make some birdies and not many mistakes,'' Tosti said. "I did really good except for a few holes. Overall, it was a really good round for me to go higher on the leaderboard individually and help the team.

"I know if I [eliminate mental mistakes], there's not many tournaments I can play really bad. Because my golf game is in really good shape right now."

Deacon agreed. Tosti is playing at a very high level as the Gators prepare next for the Southern Highlands in Las Vegas on March 6-8.

"He's one of the best amateurs in the world right now,'' Deacon said.

Tosti wasn't the only bright spot for Florida. Zhang overcame questions about his injured hand to turn in a solid tournament, moving up 13 spots on the leaderboard Sunday. Horsfield (68-73-71—212) finished tied for eighth and senior A.J. Crouch (69-73-71—213) tied for 10th.

Despite not winning their home tournament for the first time since 2011, Tosti is not discouraged. All he has to do is look around the clubhouse.

"We know our team can do anything,'' he said.

Once again, Deacon agreed with the junior from Rosario, Argentina.

The Gators have the pieces in place reach their goals. They just need to sort out some of the pieces to the mental puzzle.

"Just too many mistakes and pushing too hard on a golf course you couldn't push around,'' Deacon said. "The golf course won this week. Our talent is there. We have world-class players. We just have to be smarter and more disciplined against tough golf courses like this. If we can learn the lessons this week, we're going to be unbelievable."