Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — This time, it was his turn.

His turn to raise his arms in triumph. His turn to pose for winner photos. His turn to be called champion.

Fred Biondi took his spin late Sunday afternoon at Mark Bostick Golf Course, where he scorched the Gators' home course over three rounds in two days.

Holding a five-shot lead over teammate Ricky Castillo, and with the Gators comfortably atop the team standings at the 45th Annual VyStar Gator Invitational, Biondi drove his tee shot on the 18th into a bunker down the left side of the fairway, leaving him about 150 yards and a steep walk to the green.

Biondi contemplated his approach, knowing he could tie the tournament record with a birdie. He decided to go for it.

"I kind of knew where I was standing,'' Biondi said. "There is a tree in the way over there, and the lie was OK; it wasn't the best. I get the club to the ball, and I had 150 yards. Start at the pin and draw it against the wind. Anywhere on the green would be a pretty good shot."

Biondi's aggressive strategy paid off as his approach landed 10 feet below the hole. When his putt dropped for a birdie, Biondi capped the best performance of his collegiate career with a three-round 14-under-par (63-66-67—196). Biondi matched the tournament record set by Camilo Benedetti 21 years earlier and edged teammate Castillo (64-68-68—200) by four strokes.

Biondi's breakthrough arrived three weeks after he threatened to win the Latin American Amateur Championship last month in the Dominican Republic and secure berths in the 2022 Masters, the British Open and the U.S. Amateur Championship. Biondi led most of the final round until crashing the last two holes to finish in a three-way tie for second, one shot behind UNLV freshman Aaron Jarvis of the Cayman Islands.

Biondi was on cruise control for much of the Gator Invitational after shooting a 63 during Saturday morning's first round. Castillo shot a first-round 64 and a second-round 68. Still, after play concluded Saturday, he trailed Biondi by three shots.

"I came out here wanting to win individual, but you know, it's tough when Fred goes out and shoots 14-under for three rounds,'' Castillo said. "I was just happy [that] if I did lose to someone, it was my teammate. We're all really excited about it."

That was evident as Biondi made his final putt. His teammates and coaches cheered. His father and mother, who split their time between Biondi's native Brazil and their home in Miami, rushed in for hugs.

"I used to say all the time that golf is a mental game,'' said Fernando Biondi, Fred's father. "He just came from the Latin America Amateur, and he almost did it. I think he is starting to understand that everything is possible. He can do it, and he did it."

With Castillo hot on his tail Sunday, Biondi said he started to think it might be his turn when he finished the front nine with three consecutive birdies on holes Nos. 7-9. He was pleased with the way he had been playing recently but worked on putting with head coach JC Deacon the week heading into the Gator Invitational.

When the putts started falling Sunday, Biondi had some breathing room.

"I got it going,'' Biondi said. "Everything came together. I don't try to force anything. We play this course enough to know what to do and what not to do. And the putter was hot."

An exuberant Deacon was pleased with Biondi's performance and the team. The Gators finished 28-under, 12 shots better than second-place Oklahoma State. Like others who had watched Biondi of late, Deacon saw a player ready to knock down the door if he could solve some of the game's mysteries on the green.

"He's a great putter,'' Deacon said. "We worked on a bunch of things last week. He is willing to put in the time. I think he obviously found a little something. To shoot 14-under on this course is phenomenal golf.

"Just a dream week for Fred."  Biondi's journey to his first collegiate victory started as a young boy in São Paulo, Brazil. His maternal grandfather played golf and operated a course. Biondi frequented the course and developed into a top junior golfer when not playing soccer. He moved to the U.S. when he was 14 to attend high school in South Florida and work on his game.

His parents remained in Brazil for three years before splitting their time between Miami and their native country to be closer to their oldest son. By the time he finished at the Club Med Academy, Biondi was a two-time Florida State Junior Champion and sought-after recruit.

"We got into a really good recruiting battle with some good schools," Deacon said. "We hit it off relationship-wise pretty early. I felt good about it, but some others got interested late. He is going to have some fun the next week because he's popular around campus."

Biondi hung around the 18th green for a while following his victory. His popularity was already evident by the group of well-wishers and assembled media waiting to speak to him.

His first win for the Gators is one he'll cherish.

"It's pretty high up there,'' he said. "I've done a couple of things in the past, but winning at home, winning my first college event means a lot, in front of a home crowd and helping the guys win a team title, too."

A signature moment in his mind was when he drained those birdie putts Sunday to cap the front nine.

"I made two good putts at 8 and 9,'' he said. "I just kind of tried to keep it simple from there. Hit a lot of greens and don't put too much stress on myself. I did what I needed to do."

Biondi finished the way he started. He did what he had to do.

The reward: a title and tournament record. Deacon is eager to see what's next.

"I think in golf when you actually get over the hump and win, like that shot he hit on 18, there was pressure on the line and a lot of people here,'' Deacon said. "For him to come through, the next time you get in that situation, you can say to yourself, 'I've done that; I've accomplished this already.' That's huge for a golfer.

"When you look at what we want at the University of Florida, he's a great student, he's an unbelievable teammate, he works hard, and he's winning golf tournaments. He is a dream for us."