'El Mago's' Magical Transformation Enhances Gators' Chances

Monday, May 15

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A slew of heart-to-heart chats with Coach J.C. Deacon (left) put junior Alejando Tosti (right) on path to become an SEC champion -- and better teammate.

'El Mago's' Magical Transformation Enhances Gators' Chances

Monday, May 15, 2017 | Men's Golf, Chris Harry

Alejando Tosti made a commitment to become a better UF teammate and his golf game went along for the ride.

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For Alejandro Tosti, the awakening, epiphany, revelation or whatever you want to call it, did not occur on a golf course. Nope. The way Tosti viewed his place as a University of Florida athlete changed forever in — of all spots — a bowling alley.

It was the early morning hour of March 25. About 12:40 a.m. Tosti, some friends and just about everyone else inside Splitz of Gainesville were locked on the televisions scattered about when another Gator, point guard Chris Chiozza, sped the length of the floor in four blistering seconds and threw in a ridiculous, off-balance, 3-point shot at the buzzer to defeat Wisconsin 84-83 in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. Tosti was mesmerized by the emotions that jumped from the screen as Chiozza was mobbed by his teammates in a wild celebration that marked one of the greatest moments in UF basketball history.

The jumping-for-joy all around him was pretty cool, too.

"It made me think a lot about the university in general and what my coaches were expecting of me and had been talking to me about for so long," Tosti said. "It really just made me feel different about being at Florida. About being a Gator."

Above: UF players and managers mob guard Chris Chiozza after his dramatic buzzer-beater to defeat Wisconsin in the Sweet 16 Round of the NCAA Tournament. Below: Alejandro Tosti's reaction that night via Twitter, a rare social media post for the UF junior and golf star.

Increible!!!!! Gatoooooorsssss!!!????????????????????????
— Ale L. Tosti (@AleTostiOK) March 25, 2017

So after nearly three years (some of them tumultuous), numerous sit-downs with his coaches (some that led to sit-outs from tournaments) and a bevy of discussions with his teammates (some, frankly, not so cordial), it took a Hail Mary from a fellow UF athlete that Tosti had never even met to set him straight and direct the volatile but extraordinarily talented golfer on his current path. It's a good one, too. Tosti, the junior from Rosario, Argentina, has since captured individual medalist honors in sudden death at the Southeastern Conference Championship, been named first-team all-league and on Monday will help lead the fifth-ranked and top-seeded Gators into NCAA Regional play at West Lafayette, Ind.

"We're talking about a guy who has totally changed the person he was," Florida coach J.C. Deacon said. "For the first couple years, Ale got caught up too much in himself and what he was doing. But this is a golf team and when you spend so much time in a group you have to be a good guy. It's just like in any other aspect of your life. When relationships aren't working well, chances are your professional life isn't either. So Ale made a decision [that] the team part had to be as important to him as his golf."

What Tosti soon discovered in his new-found selflessness among his teammates was a more centered and affected player for his team. Obviously, all parties benefited.

"It came down to me," Tosti said. "I had to change."

The last few tournaments, the sight of Tosti trying to fire up his fellow Gators with fist-pumps from two holes away has been commonplace. Even inspiring.

'It's been like someone flipped a switch in him," UF sophomore Gordon Neale said. "All of a sudden, he's been the most positive, involved and enthusiastic teammate you could ask for. It's been amazing."

Sort of like his golf.

In seven tournaments dating back to last fall, Tosti has four top-3 individual finishes, with wins at both the Tavistock Collegiate last October in Orlando, where he shot 8-under, and at the SEC Championship at St. Simons Island, Ga., , where he played at 10-under in regulation and went on to defeat Vanderbilt's Patrick Martin on the second playoff hole to become the 21st SEC champ in program history and first since 2011.

Gracias a todos por los mensajes de apoyo! Thanks everyone for the support! #SECChampion #GoGators #ElMagoTosti
— Ale L. Tosti (@AleTostiOK) April 22, 2017

Now, back to that timeline. The one that includes only seven tournaments out of possible 10 for a first-team, all-conference player. Tosti got the healthy scratch treatment from a few courtesy of Deacon, who had seen enough of the attitude and antics.

"We'd been too lenient with him in a lot of areas where we were holding others to higher standards," Deacon said.

Those "others" were noticing.

Tosti had some loner in him when it came to road trips. Sometimes that manifested itself into awkward moments during team functions. On the course, he had temper issues. Yes, clubs would sometimes fly.

"Some days were worse than others and there were times I know he didn't feel like he fit in," Neale said. "He definitely wasn't as close with the rest of the guys as he and I were with each other and then when he had a couple of really bad days in qualifying this year — when he threw a couple clubs — his attitude would negatively affect some others. It was a pretty bad problem for a while, but it was finally addressed."

Head on. Without compromise.

Golf was taken away from him. The impact was profound.

"When I came here, honestly, my only goals were to learn English and become the best golfer I could be, so taking golf away was really, really hurting me," Tosti said. "A month or so ago, I was not even thinking about staying here. I didn't know where my life was going to go. I was feeling really, really upset with everything going on."

A long look in the proverbial mirror, followed by some serious soul-searching and more discussions with his coach got Tosti to an altogether different place mentally. It also got him back on the course with the Gators.

Tosti watches his par putt roll in to give him the SEC crown on the second playoff hole against Vanderbilt's Patrick Martin.

"Just a massive leap, personally," Deacon said. "And his golf went with him."

After his magnificent play at the SEC tournament, Tosti was given the nickname "El Mago" by his coach. That's "magician" in Spanish. To hammer home the moniker, Deacon even found an icon of a wizard that he zapped to the players via their team group text.

"I think it even looks like him a little bit," Deacon laughed.

Tosti is fine with the nickname, fine with the comparison. He's fine with a lot of things right now — much more so than in years past — which should make the Gators all the more dangerous as they roll into NCAA play.

Last year, UF made the first cut to play in the final round of stroke play, only to finish dead-last among the final 15 teams. The year before, Deacon's first with the program, the Gators tied for 28th at NCAAs and failed to reach the match play.

This is only Deacon's third UF team, but it's the program's best in years. While Florida missed some opportunities in SEC play, reaching the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Vanderbilt, they have the talent and depth to do some damage if they stay focused and stick together.

Having everyone on the same page (including the SEC medalist) is a great place to start.

"We are playing well," Tosti said. "But I believe all of us can play better."

Said Deacon: "I thought we had a chance at SECs, but we're not going to let that define us. We're excited about NCAAs."

Maybe some more Chiozza-like magic will wear off on them.

Chiozza "El Mago," that is.