Sunday, April 24
St. Simons Island, Ga. / Sea Island Golf Club Seaside Course
8 a.m. (Match Play) Finals
Florida Gators
vs
Vanderbilt
Fred Biondi celebrates as he wins his fourth hole in a row in the SEC Championship finals vs. No. 1 Vanderbilt.
Gators Battle Commodores, Fall 3-2 in SEC Championship Finals
Sunday, April 24, 2022 | Men's Golf
The match came down to the final match on the course as Florida will find out its regional selection on May 4.
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. - The Florida men's golf team battled the defending SEC champion and No. 1 seed Vanderbilt Commodores in the championship finals all day at Sea Island Golf Club, but ultimately fell 3-2.
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The Gators advanced to the match play finals for the first time since the format was added in 2017. UF knocked off No. 6 Georgia (3-1-1) in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Texas A&M (3-1-1) in the semifinals along with John DuBois winning the individual title. Florida finishes runner-up for the 13th time in program history and first since 2010.Β
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DuBois and William Moll kicked off the match with both long birdies putts that just came up short. That would be an early display of the match.
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Nearing sinking an ace on 16, Tyler Wilkes started his round with a win to go 1-up. He trailed by as many as three heading into the 8th hole. He chipped away and tied the matchup with back-to-back birdies on 12 and 13 to put Florida ahead 2-1-2.Β
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Florida had to play catch up however, as the back-to-back conference champions led 4-1 at the turn.
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Vandy jumped out to a 2-0 advantage as both DuBois (1-down) and Wilkes (2-down) were edged on the 18th hole. DuBois was down by three into the 14th and brought it down to one.
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Ricky Castillo and Fred Biondi added to the intensity of the match with 2&1 victories. Castillo didn't lose a hole until the 10th and had five birdies through his first six holes. Biondi was 1-down through 10 and then recorded four straight wins to jump ahead 3-up on 14.
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The clinching point came down to match between Yuxin Lin and Cole Sherwood. The duo went neck and neck to start, each owing a 1-up lead in the first six holes. A win to start the turn from Lin tied it, but Sherwood went on to win the next three of five holes and a par on 16 clinched the second straight title for Vanderbilt.
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Florida will await its NCAA Regional (May 16-18) destination on May 4 with the selection show airing on Golf Channel at 4 p.m.
Β Scores
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The Gators advanced to the match play finals for the first time since the format was added in 2017. UF knocked off No. 6 Georgia (3-1-1) in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Texas A&M (3-1-1) in the semifinals along with John DuBois winning the individual title. Florida finishes runner-up for the 13th time in program history and first since 2010.Β
Β
DuBois and William Moll kicked off the match with both long birdies putts that just came up short. That would be an early display of the match.
Β
Nearing sinking an ace on 16, Tyler Wilkes started his round with a win to go 1-up. He trailed by as many as three heading into the 8th hole. He chipped away and tied the matchup with back-to-back birdies on 12 and 13 to put Florida ahead 2-1-2.Β
One indication of the quality present in #SECMGolf. Close and closer on the 16th for @GatorsGolf and @VandyMGolf! #ThatsGood pic.twitter.com/26usS3tFPW
— Greg Sankey (@GregSankey) April 24, 2022
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Florida had to play catch up however, as the back-to-back conference champions led 4-1 at the turn.
Β
Vandy jumped out to a 2-0 advantage as both DuBois (1-down) and Wilkes (2-down) were edged on the 18th hole. DuBois was down by three into the 14th and brought it down to one.
Β
Ricky Castillo and Fred Biondi added to the intensity of the match with 2&1 victories. Castillo didn't lose a hole until the 10th and had five birdies through his first six holes. Biondi was 1-down through 10 and then recorded four straight wins to jump ahead 3-up on 14.
Β
The clinching point came down to match between Yuxin Lin and Cole Sherwood. The duo went neck and neck to start, each owing a 1-up lead in the first six holes. A win to start the turn from Lin tied it, but Sherwood went on to win the next three of five holes and a par on 16 clinched the second straight title for Vanderbilt.
Β
Florida will await its NCAA Regional (May 16-18) destination on May 4 with the selection show airing on Golf Channel at 4 p.m.
Β Scores
| Player | OpponentΒ | Score |
|---|---|---|
| John DuBois | William MollΒ | 1 Up -Β VanderbiltΒ |
| Tyler WilkesΒ | Reid Davenport | 2 Up - VanderbiltΒ |
| Fred Biondi | Harrison Ott | 2&1 - FloridaΒ |
| Ricky Castillo | Gordon SargentΒ | 2&1 - FloridaΒ |
| Yuxin LinΒ | Cole Sherwood | 3&2 - VanderbiltΒ |
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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