Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The Florida men's golf team is set to host the 43rd annual Gators Invitational presented by VyStar from Saturday, Feb. 15 to Sunday, Feb. 16 at the Mark Bostick Golf Course.

14 programs are making the trip to Gainesville for this year's event, including three other SEC teams - Mississippi State, Missouri and No. 19 Vanderbilt.

Format
The teams will complete 36 holes on Saturday and 18 holes on Sunday. Play on Saturday is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. ET with a shotgun start. Tee times for Sunday's final round are still to be determined.  

Course Information
The tournament is being played at the Par 70, 6,701 yards at Mark Bostick Golf Course. MBGC has served as the Gators' home course since the 1960s and has been the home to the Gators Invitational since 1978.

How to Follow
Admission is free to the two-day event and fans are encouraged to come out to the course. Updates will also be provided on GolfStat.com and Twitter via @GatorsGolf. A complete recap with full results will be posted on FloridaGators.com following each day of play.

Gators' Lineup
No. 1 - John Axelsen
No. 2 - Ricky Castillo
No. 3 - Chris Nido
No. 4 - Blake Dyer
No. 5 - Manny Girona
Ind. - Fred Biondi
Ind. - Quentin Debove
Ind. - John DuBois
Ind. - Robby Eisch
Ind. - Eugene Hong
Ind. - Christophe Stutts
Ind. - Aden Ye

The Field (Golfstat Rankings)
Coastal Carolina
No. 31 Florida
GA Southern
Jacksonville
Mississippi State
Missouri
Penn State
No. 39 UCF
No. 26 UNF
No. 36 USF
Toledo
No. 19 Vanderbilt
No. 47 West Virginia
Wichita State

Tournament History
This is Florida's 43rd year hosting the Gators Invitational. The Gators have claimed the title 25 times on their home course, with the last coming in 2011. Florida's highest finish at the event under head coach JC Deacon is second place (2018 and 2019).

Last year, Vanderbilt captured the tournament title over Florida by one stroke. The Commodores also boasted the individual champion in Will Gordon who fired off a 7-under 203.  

Last Time Out
Ricky Castillo and John Axelsen swept the top two spots individually as the Gators finished second at the Sea Best Invitational to open the spring season. 

Despite a back-and-forth battle with Texas A&M in the third round, the Aggies ultimately claimed the title by two strokes. The Gators' runner-up finish put them ahead of four highly ranked squads - No. 13 North Carolina, No. 21 Arkansas, No. 31 North Florida and No. 35 Liberty.

Castillo was aggressive to open the tournament, sitting in a tie for third at 3 under after the first 36 holes. But, the freshman really came alive in the final round, firing off a blemish-free 5-under 65 to finish in control of first place at 8 under collectively. Castillo became the first Florida freshman to win an event since Sam Horsfield took first at the Mason Rudolph Championship in 2016.

Axelsen was also solid for the Gators to begin the spring. The junior was under par in all three of his rounds, turning in a 68, 69 and 68. Axelsen's low outing allowed him to take second behind Castillo, coming in at a total of 5-under 205. 

Up Next
The Gators travel to Last Vegas, Nev., for the Southern Highlands Collegiate. The three-day tournament is hosted by head coach JC Deacon's alma mater, UNLV, and is scheduled to run from Sunday, March 1 to Tuesday, March 3.