Florida Gators

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The Gators won the NCAA Kissimmee Regional in record-breaking fashion.

After sitting at 25-under and five clear of the field entering Wednesday's final round, Florida was chasing history. The team needed to shoot 12-under-par to tie the record for strokes under par.

The Gators shattered that mark, shooting a final-round 271 (-17), the lowest single round to par in program history. By the end of the tournament, they were 42-under-par to set the new program record by five strokes en route to winning the event by 12 shots.

All five Gator players finished 2-under or better in the tournament, the only school in the field to accomplish the feat. Florida won the regional title for the first time since 2011 and fifth time overall.

With their third win of the season under their belt, the Gators advance to the 54th NCAA Championships in program history. It will be the third time in four season the team has made it under head coach J.C. Deacon.

Top of the Charts
The Gators set the school record for strokes under par. Below are the top-10 tournament scores (by par):
 

Rank	Score	Event
1.	822 (-42)	2018 NCAA Kissimmee Regional
1.	827 (-37)	2006 NCAA West Regional
2.	828 (-36)	2003 Atlanta Intercollegiate
T3.	810 (-30)	2001 SunTrust Gator Invitational
T3.	822 (-30)	2017 Mason Rudolph Championship
5.	837 (-27)	2001 NCAA East Regional
6.	1126 (-26)	2001 NCAA Championships#
T7.	839 (-25)	2004 Atlanta Intercollegiate
T7.	815 (-25)	2000 SunTrust Gator Invitational
10.	840 (-24)	2005 Gary Koch Invitational

*Through two rounds of play
#Four rounds of play

One, two punch
Sophomore Andy Zhang captured his second consecutive individual win Wednesday with a blistering 203 (-13) 54-hole score. Zhang tied Billy Horschel for the fourth-best three-day total in program history at 13-under. Zhang used his knowledge of the course to his advantage as he carded just two bogeys over the course of 54 holes

After sitting in a tie for 15th at 2-under after round two, freshman Chris Nido threw down the lowest round by any freshman in program history. Nido carded nine birdies including one on the final four holes turning in a 63 (-9). That mark is a season-best by four strokes. His final round helped him shoot up the leaderboard as by the end of the round he landed himself in second. Nido's previous best finish was a tie for 16th.

Coach's Take
On rising to the moment in postseason:
"It's the best time of the year. When April hits and you have SECs and Nationals, there is so much excitement. The stakes are higher and the pressure is big. Our team showed today exactly what they are made out of. We have a week to go before the National Championship and we're going to use that time to get a little sharper and more prepared. We'll give it our all in Stillwater" -- Coach J.C. Deacon

On record breaking round of 42-under-par:
"We designed everything this year to make sure we were ready for this tournament. 42-under-par, a University of Florida all time scoring record, that is pretty special and especially to do it when you need it the most. I'm so proud of these guys and the sacrifices that they have made. We have an exciting opportunity next week when we are playing some of our best golf." -- Coach J.C. Deacon

On the process leading up to this week:
"This process started last May for us. The support system with the Florida Gators is amazing. We had a lot of people help point me in the right direction. We just tried to make the program really hard this year. We threw as much adversity at the guys as we could to make things difficult. No matter what has come our way we have tried to get the guys to embrace it and they obviously did a good job this week."  -- Coach J.C. Deacon

Player's Take
On:
"I think we put in a lot of hard work right before and after the SEC Tournament. We weren't happy with the result at SEC's. So, all this hard work is paying off all together. The ability to be laid back as well as staying focused with the coaches. Everything clicked today and all week for us." -- Sophomore Andy Zhang

"When I heard that we shot 42-under I thought wow that is just incredible. You rarely see a score like that and to be a part of that is special." -- Sophomore Andy Zhang

Final Scores:
Team:

1	Florida	822 (-42)
2	UCF	834 (-30)
3	Vanderbilt	842 (-22)
4	North Carolina	843 (-21)
5	Ken State	844 (-20)
6	Arizona	846 (-18)
7	Colorado State	848 (-16)
8	South Florida	852 (-12)
9	Purdue	853 (-11)
10	Coastal Carolina	859 (-5)
11	St. Mary's (CA)	863 (-1)
12	Jacksonville State	872 (+8)
13	Georgetown	882 (+18)
14	Central Connecticut	895 (+31)

Florida Individual

Andy Zhang	1	136 (-13)
Chris Nido	2	137 (-11)
John Axelsen	T6	141 (-9)
Gordon Neale	T26	142 (-2)
Alejandro Tosti	T26	143 (-2)

Up Next
Florida has advanced to play in the NCAA Championships in Stillwater Okla. The first round of play begins Friday May 25 at Karsten Creek Golf Club.

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