Wednesday, April 21
St. Simons Island, Ga.
Florida Gators
at
SEC Championship
Gators Make Postseason Debut in First Round at SEC Championship
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 | Men's Golf
The Florida lineup did not feature a single player with postseason experience.
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – The University of Florida men's golf team competed in the first round of the 2021 SEC Championship today, finishing 6-over par and tied for ninth at the conclusion of play.
The lineup for the Gators featured five golfers without a round of postseason play, but was not lacking maturity and focus on the course. Look no further than Joe Pagdin.
The freshman was ready to compete, posting five birdies on his way to a 2-under par 68 and tied for fifth individually. Teeing off the 10th hole, Pagdin made the turn with three birdies and no bogeys, perfectly set to face the tricky front-nine. While struggling a bit, he was able to keep his game locked in, becoming the only Gator to finish under par. The freshman is one of only 14 golfers in the 70-player field to turn in a card under par at the conclusion of the first round.
Sophomore Ricky Castillo finished next for the Gators, posting a 2-over par 72 in the first round to sit tied for 33rd individually.
Yuxin Lin and Tyler Wilkes sit tied for 41st with 2-over par cards. Wilkes struggled at the beginning of play, but settled in as the round continued, recording a birdie on his third-to-last hole to lower his final card in a field where every stroke counts.
Fred Biondi rounded out the lineup for the Gators, posting an 8-over par 78 to tie for 75th individually.
Florida will head back to the course tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. ET for the second round of postseason play.
Head Coach JC Deacon's Take
On the round today…
"I thought we were really close today. Just didn't finish off up the last hole. We are playing solid golf and just need to keep pounding the stone. I'm excited for us to get on a run tomorrow and claw back into stroke play contention."
On Joe Pagdin…
"Pagdin is playing great golf. Getting it done in so many ways. He's put in a ton of work and looks comfortable and rock solid out there."
Team Leaderboard
Player Leaderboard
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The lineup for the Gators featured five golfers without a round of postseason play, but was not lacking maturity and focus on the course. Look no further than Joe Pagdin.
The freshman was ready to compete, posting five birdies on his way to a 2-under par 68 and tied for fifth individually. Teeing off the 10th hole, Pagdin made the turn with three birdies and no bogeys, perfectly set to face the tricky front-nine. While struggling a bit, he was able to keep his game locked in, becoming the only Gator to finish under par. The freshman is one of only 14 golfers in the 70-player field to turn in a card under par at the conclusion of the first round.
Sophomore Ricky Castillo finished next for the Gators, posting a 2-over par 72 in the first round to sit tied for 33rd individually.
Yuxin Lin and Tyler Wilkes sit tied for 41st with 2-over par cards. Wilkes struggled at the beginning of play, but settled in as the round continued, recording a birdie on his third-to-last hole to lower his final card in a field where every stroke counts.
Fred Biondi rounded out the lineup for the Gators, posting an 8-over par 78 to tie for 75th individually.
Florida will head back to the course tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. ET for the second round of postseason play.
Head Coach JC Deacon's Take
On the round today…
"I thought we were really close today. Just didn't finish off up the last hole. We are playing solid golf and just need to keep pounding the stone. I'm excited for us to get on a run tomorrow and claw back into stroke play contention."
On Joe Pagdin…
"Pagdin is playing great golf. Getting it done in so many ways. He's put in a ton of work and looks comfortable and rock solid out there."
Team Leaderboard
| Position | Team | Total |
| 1 | Georgia | 275 (-5) |
| 2 | Tennessee | 277 (-3) |
| 3 | Arkansas | 278 (-2) |
| T4 | LSU | 281 (+1) |
| T4 | Vanderbilt | 281 (+1) |
| 6 | Auburn | 282 (+2) |
| 7 | Alabama | 284 (+4) |
| 8 | South Carolina | 285 (+5) |
| T9 | Missouri | 286 (+6) |
| T9 | Texas A&M | 286 (+6) |
| T9 | Florida | 286 (+6) |
| 12 | Kentucky | 288 (+8) |
| 13 | Mississippi State | 291 (+11) |
| 14 | Ole Miss | 299 (+19) |
Player Leaderboard
| Position | Name | Total |
| T5 | Joe Pagdin | 68 (-2) |
| T33 | Ricky Castillo | 72 (+2) |
| T41 | Yuxin Lin | 73 (+3) |
| T41 | Tyler Wilkes | 73 (+3) |
| T65 | Fred Biondi | 78 (+8) |
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Players Mentioned
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