Biondi, Gators Capture Victory in Spring Opener
Photo By: Courtney Culbreath
Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Biondi, Gators Capture Victory in Spring Opener

Matthew Hutchison
Fred Biondi and Ricky Castillo dueled for medalist honors as Biondi claimed his third collegiate victory.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - The Florida men's golf team continued its success at the Sea Best Invitational, capturing the tournament for the sixth time in program history on Tuesday.

Ranked No. 3 in PGA Tour U and a recipient of the Ben Hogan Award Watch List, Fred Biondi won medalist honors in a playoff against teammate Ricky Castillo on 17. Biondi carded a 64 (-6), the lowest round in the tournament, behind a birdie on 18 to force the playoff. After his one bogey of the day, he birdied six of the next 14. The victory marked the third of his collegiate career. 

The Gators finished 14-under and won the title for the fourth time under head coach J.C. Deacon by 23 strokes. The final round of 271 (-9) tied for the second-lowest round of the year, one away from the season-low set in the season opener. UF repeated as champions in the event for the third time (2011-12 & 2016-17) as the victory marks the 17th under Deacon and seven in the last three seasons. 

Florida had eight players finish in the top-25 with Giovanni Manzoni taking third. He started the day as the solo lead and battled with Castillo for it throughout the day. He posted all three rounds in the 60s with a 69 (-1) today. 

Redshirt-freshman Miguel Leal made a strong collegiate debut, tying for 5th. He fired a 68 (-2) in the final 18 to cut five strokes off his round two of 73. He finished 3-under as fellow Class of 2022 signee, Matthew Kress placed right behind him a T9. The two were paired with Manzoni on the final day as they combined to shoot 4-under. 

Also tied for ninth was Florida's second Ben Hogan Award Watch List member, Yuxin Lin. He was one of the six Gators to shoot under par on Tuesday. Rounding out the lineup was John DuBois (T15) and Tyler Wilkes (T18) who both placed in the top-20. Wilkes went eagle on 15 (par-4, 402) for his third of the season and seventh of his career.

Both Ryan Hart (70, +1) and Parker Bell (70, E) finished the outing strong, recording their best rounds.  

The Orange and Blue aim to defend its home course at the VyStar Credit Union Gators Invitational at Mark Bostick Golf Course from Feb. 11-12.

Individual Scores
Place Name Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Score
T1 ^Fred Biondi  72 68 64 204 (-6)
T1 Ricky Castillo 65 72 67 204 (-6)
3 *Giovanni Manzoni 69 67 69 205 (-5)
T5 *Miguel Leal 66 73 68 207 (-3)
T9 Yuxin Lin 72 69 69 210 (E)
T9 *Matthew Kress 70 71 69 210 (E)
T15 John DuBois 70 69 73 212 (+2)
T18 Tyler Wilkes 73 70 71 214 (+4)
T36 *Ryan Hart 74 74 71 219 (+9)
41 *Parker Bell  75 75 70 220 (+10)
^won in a playoff
*competed as individual

Team Scores
Place Team Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Score
1 Florida 279 276 271 826 (-14)
2 North Florida 286 275 288 849 (+9)
3 Liberty 291 280 283 854 (+14)
4 Louisville 285 291 280 856 (+16)
5 Florida Gulf Coast U 285 292 283 860 (+20)
6 Lipscomb 294 296 285 875 (+35)
7 Florida Atlantic 290 288 299 877 (+37)
T8 UTSA 304 289 288 881 (+41)
T8 Jacksonville 284 292 305 881 (+41)
10 Campbell 304 290 289 882 (+42)
11 College of Charleston 295 296 294 885 (+45)
12 Charleston Southern 297 294 299 890 (+50)
13 USC Upstate 301 303 297 901 (+61)
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