Sunday, February 18
Gainesville, FL
ALL DAY
Florida Gators
vs
SunTrust Gator Invitational
Gordon Neal posted his third top 10 finish in five tournaments this spring over the weekend at the SunTrust Gator Invitational. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Florida runner-up at SunTrust Gator Invitational
Sunday, February 18, 2018 | Men's Golf
Four Gators place in top 25 as Vanderbilt claims the team title.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- After finishing day one of the SunTrust Gator Invitational in second at 7-under par, Florida shot 2-under in the final round to finish 9-under for the tournament.
The Gators finished as the runner-up in the tournament to Vanderbilt. This is the best finish for Florida since winning the tournament in 2011 and best since J.C. Deacon took over the program.
Florida had four players place in the top 25 of the leaderboard including Gordon Neale who was the top finisher in the lineup. Neale at 4-under par was tied for eighth in the tournament.
Just two shots back of Neale, teammate Alejandro Tosti who finished tied for 16th in his final Gator Invitational. This was Tosti's third top 20 finish in the event in three career starts.
In his first Gator Invite, John Axelsen finished tied for 20th after an even par third round bumped him up three positions. Andy Zhang, who finished one-over for the weekend, moved up 17 positions on the final day to take a share of 22nd place.
Zhang shot 2-under Sunday including a stretch from No. 5-No. 10 when he carded four birdies.
Coach's Take
On the overall tournament -- "We just didn't have our best stuff this week. We tried really hard. I can give it to all of the guys that our effort level was there. We just didn't have it. We weren't good enough. We've got to be better if you're going to beat teams like Vanderbilt. They have been a high-level team for a long time and you've got to have your best stuff. We just didn't have it." -- Head coach J.C. Deacon
On improvements for the end of the season -- "It's nice to see Andy play a good round. I'm not even sure what John Axelsen shot today, but I know he was pretty solid. He made an eagle on 12. As a whole, to win the SEC and to be in contention with those teams, you've got to be, from top to bottom, really strong. We've got work to do and I'm sure our guys know it. Knowing them, we'll get right back to work tomorrow morning." -- Deacon
On the tournament atmosphere -- "It's a really neat tournament. We're finding different ways to make it feel like a really high-level tournament. I think all the players would agree that it's really turning into a special event. There are crowds out there. You hear the roars here and there. The course is just amazing. It's championship-caliber greens. Just the whole thing. You've got to play well to score well and that's the way we want it. We play here so many times you think it would be easy to win. We'll figure it out one of these times." -- Deacon
Final Scores
Team
Florida Individual
Also competing
Up Next
The Gators will travel to the Southern Highlands in Las Vegas, Nev. from March 5-7. Tosti, Neale and Zhang were all in the Florida lineup last season with Tosti finishing highest.
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The Gators finished as the runner-up in the tournament to Vanderbilt. This is the best finish for Florida since winning the tournament in 2011 and best since J.C. Deacon took over the program.
Florida had four players place in the top 25 of the leaderboard including Gordon Neale who was the top finisher in the lineup. Neale at 4-under par was tied for eighth in the tournament.
Just two shots back of Neale, teammate Alejandro Tosti who finished tied for 16th in his final Gator Invitational. This was Tosti's third top 20 finish in the event in three career starts.
In his first Gator Invite, John Axelsen finished tied for 20th after an even par third round bumped him up three positions. Andy Zhang, who finished one-over for the weekend, moved up 17 positions on the final day to take a share of 22nd place.
Zhang shot 2-under Sunday including a stretch from No. 5-No. 10 when he carded four birdies.
Coach's Take
On the overall tournament -- "We just didn't have our best stuff this week. We tried really hard. I can give it to all of the guys that our effort level was there. We just didn't have it. We weren't good enough. We've got to be better if you're going to beat teams like Vanderbilt. They have been a high-level team for a long time and you've got to have your best stuff. We just didn't have it." -- Head coach J.C. Deacon
On improvements for the end of the season -- "It's nice to see Andy play a good round. I'm not even sure what John Axelsen shot today, but I know he was pretty solid. He made an eagle on 12. As a whole, to win the SEC and to be in contention with those teams, you've got to be, from top to bottom, really strong. We've got work to do and I'm sure our guys know it. Knowing them, we'll get right back to work tomorrow morning." -- Deacon
On the tournament atmosphere -- "It's a really neat tournament. We're finding different ways to make it feel like a really high-level tournament. I think all the players would agree that it's really turning into a special event. There are crowds out there. You hear the roars here and there. The course is just amazing. It's championship-caliber greens. Just the whole thing. You've got to play well to score well and that's the way we want it. We play here so many times you think it would be easy to win. We'll figure it out one of these times." -- Deacon
Final Scores
Team
| 1 | Vanderbilt | 822 (-18) |
| 2 | Florida | 831 (-9) |
| 3 | USF | 835 (-5) |
| 4 | North Florida | 837 (-3) |
| 5 | UCF | 838 (-2) |
| 6 | Liberty | 842 (+2) |
| 7 | Missouri | 846 (+6) |
| T8 | Georgia Southern | 847 (+7) |
| T8 | Arkansas | 847 (+7) |
| 10 | Jacksonville | 850 (+10) |
| 11 | UAB | 859 (+19) |
| 12 | Coastal Carolina | 861 (+21) |
| 13 | Lipscomb | 868 (+28) |
| 14 | College of Charleston | 871 (+31) |
| 15 | Mississippi State | 872 (+32) |
| 16 | Troy | 902 (+62) |
Florida Individual
| T8 | 206 (-4) | |
| Alejandro Tosti | T16 | 208 (-2) |
| T20 | 210 (E) | |
| Andy Zhang | T22 | 211 (+1) |
| Blake Dyer | T37 | 215 (+5) |
Also competing
| Chris Nido | T35 | 214 (+4) |
| Won Jun Lee | T40 | 216 (+6) |
Up Next
The Gators will travel to the Southern Highlands in Las Vegas, Nev. from March 5-7. Tosti, Neale and Zhang were all in the Florida lineup last season with Tosti finishing highest.
Follow the Gators
FloridaGators.com
Players Mentioned
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One-on-One with J.C. Deacon - Florida Men's Golf
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Gators Invite Recap 2-16-25
Wednesday, February 19
