Friday, May 26
Scottsdale, Ariz. / Grayhawk Golf Club
9:10 a.m. (18 Holes)
Florida Gators
at
NCAA National Championships
A third round rally on the back nine secured a spot in the final round of stroke play last year at NCAA National Championship at Grayhawk with four of the six that appeared last time returning.
Gators Ready for NCAA National Championships
Wednesday, May 24, 2023 | Men's Golf
Florida tees off Friday, May 26 at 9:10 a.m. ET at Grayhawk Golf Club.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Dates: Friday, May 26 - Wednesday, May 31
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona - Grayhawk Golf Club
Host: Arizona State University / The Thunderbirds / NCAA
Course Par/Yardage: 70 / 7,300 yards
Tee Times: 9:10 a.m. ET on Friday, 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday and TBD other days
Scoring: Golf Stat
Watch: Golf Channel
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Line Up
No. 1 - Fred Biondi
No. 2 - Ricky Castillo
No. 3 - Yuxin Lin
No. 4 - John DuBois
No. 5 - Matthew Kress
Alternate - Ryan Hart
TEE OFF
The No. 6/9 Florida men's golf team opens up the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk on Friday, teeing off a 6:10 a.m. PT / 9:10 a.m. ET. with round two for set for 11:30 a.m. PT / 2:30 p.m. ET. The Gators are paired with Florida State and Pepperdine for the first two rounds.
FORMAT
Finals play consists of three days of stroke play (18 each day) starting after Friday through Sunday, which will feature a 54-hole cut with the top-15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team a spot in the final round of stroke play on Monday.
After the final 18 holes, the top-8 teams will advance to match play and a 72-hole individual champion is crowned. The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday, followed by finals on Wednesday.
HOW TO WATCH
Golf Channel will start its coverage of the tournament on Monday for the final round of stroke play starting a 5 p.m. ET. The next two rounds of match play will been broadcasted live at noon and 5 p.m. The finals match will be broadcasted on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
COMPETING TEAMS (Seed #)
No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 2 North Carolina, No. 3 Illinois, No. 4 Arizona State, No. 5 Texas Tech, No. 6 Stanford, No. 7 Florida State, No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 9 Florida, No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 11 Georgia Teach, No. 12 Auburn, No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 14 Alabama, No. 15 Virginia, No. 16 Texas, No. 17 Mississippi State, No. 18 Oregon, No. 19 Colorado State, No. 20 Ohio State, No. 21 Georgia, No. 22 Arkansas, No. 23 Baylor, No. 24 Duke, No. 25 East Tennessee State, No. 26 BYU, No. 27 San Francisco, No. 28 Chattanooga, No. 29 New Mexico and No. 30 Colorado.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Florida will make its 56th NCAA Championships experience and has only missed qualifying twice under head coach J.C. Deacon. The Gators have claimed four national titles - 1968, 1973, 1993 and 2001 - which ranks tied for 8th most in the nation and second in the SEC. The program has also finished runner-up four times (1967, 1974, 1990, 2006) for a total 17 top-5 finishes.
UF has made the championship in 18 of the last 20 tournaments as its 56th appearance is fifth most in the nation behind Oklahoma State (74), Texas (67), USC (58) and Arizona State (58). Individually, Florida has touted the top finisher twice - Bob Murphy in 1966 and Nick Gilliam in 2001.
LAST TIME OUT
A final-round comeback at the NCAA Bath Regional punched the Gators a trip to Grayhawk. The Gators chased a top-5 spot of the championship cut the first two days and entered the final round seven back from host Michigan State.
When Florida teed off 25 minutes after the Spartans, the chase was now nine strokes. At the end of 54-holes, Florida finished 4th at -12 and a five-shot cushion.
A trio of rounds in the 60s from Yuxin Lin (66, -5) Ricky Castillo (69, -2) and John DuBois (69, -2) led UF to the best round among the field today by five shots with a 276 (-8).
SEC CHAMPS
The Gators won the 2023 SEC Championship this season for the first time in 12 years. It marked the 16th in program history, tied for the second most with LSU as the title was the first under head coach J.C. Deacon.
It was a drama-filled rematch in the finals vs. Vanderbilt as Sea Island that came all the way down to the 18th hole. The third-seeded Gators defeated the fourth-seeded and No. 1 team in the country, Vanderbilt, 3-1-1. M
Mr. CLUTCH
In the past two seasons, John DuBois has come through the clutch in big postseason moments for the Gators. At the 2022 SEC Championship, after he won his first collegiate title the day prior to being crowned the SEC Individual Champion, he had another in the semifinals during match play.
He teed off the 18th hole 1-down and won the hole to force extras. DuBois nearly eagled the hole (565 yards, par 5) as he two-putted from seven feet. He then followed up with a victory in the first extra hole to send the Gators to the finals for the first time since the format was added.
This year in the finals at the SEC Championship, the match came down to the 18th hole. He fired his approach shot right of the green and on the fringe, his opponent Reid Davenport landed in front of the green. Both were exactly 26 feet from the hole. DuBois added to the intensity of the finals when he tied the match on 16 after being down as many as three holes on three occasions, including being three behind with seven holes left. He knocked his third shot 15 feet of the cup.
DuBois was once again clutch in the moment and nailed the par putt for the eventual match-clinching point as his opponent missed his to force extra holes. In the final round of the NCAA Regionals, a seve-shot improvement for a 2-under 69 and bogey-free on the final day helped the Gators erase a seven-shot deficit to advance to Grayhawk.
MADE FOR THE MOMENT
Heading into this season, Matthew Kress had yet to play a collegiate round and only watched the Gators in the postseason. Flash forward to the SEC Championship and the redshirt freshman had a week to remember. He led UF in a second-round surge with a 67 (-3) bouncing back from 74 in round one. Kress wrapped up stroke play with a 69 (-1).
The momentum carried to match play where he was undefeated in match play and secured both match-clinching points in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Out of the 49 total holes in match play, he won 18, tied 22, and only lost nine.
In the finals vs. Vanderbilt, Kress dominated his matchup and secured the first point for the Gators with a 5&4 win.
FIVE WINS
This season Florida has won five team titles and five medalist honors - Fred Biondi (2), Ricky Castillo (1), Ryan Hart (1) and Yuxin Lin (1). Two of the wins were collegiate first for Hart and Lin. Biondi's win at Augusta Haskins Award Invite earned him an exemption into the 3M Open and Lin's at Southern Highlands a spot at the Shriners Open.
The five individual titles is only the third time in program history and the first since 2011. The five team victories are tied for the most under head coach J.C. Deacon when Florida won five in the 2016-17 season.
100-PLUS CLUB
Seniors Fred Biondi, Ricky Castillo, John DuBois and Yuxin Lin all have notched 100-plus birdies, led by Castillo with a career-high of 139.
Castillo has recorded 100-plus in the last three seasons and nearly all four as he had 89 in 2019-20 prior to Covid-19 stopping the season. For Biondi and Lin its the second straight season reaching the marks and a career first for DuBois.
A LOT OF ROUNDS
Florida's senior class have all played 90-plus rounds in their collegiate career, led by Ricky Castillo with 122, who has never missed a tournament in his Gator tenure. On Sunday, May 28th, when Fred Biondi and Yuxin Lin tee off at Grayhawk it will mark the 100th collegiate round. Currently, John DuBois has played 93 total rounds.
CONFERENCE HARDWARE
Florida claimed six conference awards, highlighted by J.C. Deacon being named SEC Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. Other honors included Yuixn Lin First Team and Community Service Team, Fred Biondi and Ricky Castillo Second Team and Matthew Kress on the Freshman Team.
In the regular season, UF earned five SEC Golfer of the Week honors, second most in the conference.
Dates: Friday, May 26 - Wednesday, May 31
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona - Grayhawk Golf Club
Host: Arizona State University / The Thunderbirds / NCAA
Course Par/Yardage: 70 / 7,300 yards
Tee Times: 9:10 a.m. ET on Friday, 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday and TBD other days
Scoring: Golf Stat
Watch: Golf Channel
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Line Up
No. 1 - Fred Biondi
No. 2 - Ricky Castillo
No. 3 - Yuxin Lin
No. 4 - John DuBois
No. 5 - Matthew Kress
Alternate - Ryan Hart
TEE OFF
The No. 6/9 Florida men's golf team opens up the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk on Friday, teeing off a 6:10 a.m. PT / 9:10 a.m. ET. with round two for set for 11:30 a.m. PT / 2:30 p.m. ET. The Gators are paired with Florida State and Pepperdine for the first two rounds.
FORMAT
Finals play consists of three days of stroke play (18 each day) starting after Friday through Sunday, which will feature a 54-hole cut with the top-15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team a spot in the final round of stroke play on Monday.
After the final 18 holes, the top-8 teams will advance to match play and a 72-hole individual champion is crowned. The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday, followed by finals on Wednesday.
HOW TO WATCH
Golf Channel will start its coverage of the tournament on Monday for the final round of stroke play starting a 5 p.m. ET. The next two rounds of match play will been broadcasted live at noon and 5 p.m. The finals match will be broadcasted on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
COMPETING TEAMS (Seed #)
No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 2 North Carolina, No. 3 Illinois, No. 4 Arizona State, No. 5 Texas Tech, No. 6 Stanford, No. 7 Florida State, No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 9 Florida, No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 11 Georgia Teach, No. 12 Auburn, No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 14 Alabama, No. 15 Virginia, No. 16 Texas, No. 17 Mississippi State, No. 18 Oregon, No. 19 Colorado State, No. 20 Ohio State, No. 21 Georgia, No. 22 Arkansas, No. 23 Baylor, No. 24 Duke, No. 25 East Tennessee State, No. 26 BYU, No. 27 San Francisco, No. 28 Chattanooga, No. 29 New Mexico and No. 30 Colorado.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Florida will make its 56th NCAA Championships experience and has only missed qualifying twice under head coach J.C. Deacon. The Gators have claimed four national titles - 1968, 1973, 1993 and 2001 - which ranks tied for 8th most in the nation and second in the SEC. The program has also finished runner-up four times (1967, 1974, 1990, 2006) for a total 17 top-5 finishes.
UF has made the championship in 18 of the last 20 tournaments as its 56th appearance is fifth most in the nation behind Oklahoma State (74), Texas (67), USC (58) and Arizona State (58). Individually, Florida has touted the top finisher twice - Bob Murphy in 1966 and Nick Gilliam in 2001.
LAST TIME OUT
A final-round comeback at the NCAA Bath Regional punched the Gators a trip to Grayhawk. The Gators chased a top-5 spot of the championship cut the first two days and entered the final round seven back from host Michigan State.
When Florida teed off 25 minutes after the Spartans, the chase was now nine strokes. At the end of 54-holes, Florida finished 4th at -12 and a five-shot cushion.
A trio of rounds in the 60s from Yuxin Lin (66, -5) Ricky Castillo (69, -2) and John DuBois (69, -2) led UF to the best round among the field today by five shots with a 276 (-8).
SEC CHAMPS
The Gators won the 2023 SEC Championship this season for the first time in 12 years. It marked the 16th in program history, tied for the second most with LSU as the title was the first under head coach J.C. Deacon.
It was a drama-filled rematch in the finals vs. Vanderbilt as Sea Island that came all the way down to the 18th hole. The third-seeded Gators defeated the fourth-seeded and No. 1 team in the country, Vanderbilt, 3-1-1. M
Mr. CLUTCH
In the past two seasons, John DuBois has come through the clutch in big postseason moments for the Gators. At the 2022 SEC Championship, after he won his first collegiate title the day prior to being crowned the SEC Individual Champion, he had another in the semifinals during match play.
He teed off the 18th hole 1-down and won the hole to force extras. DuBois nearly eagled the hole (565 yards, par 5) as he two-putted from seven feet. He then followed up with a victory in the first extra hole to send the Gators to the finals for the first time since the format was added.
This year in the finals at the SEC Championship, the match came down to the 18th hole. He fired his approach shot right of the green and on the fringe, his opponent Reid Davenport landed in front of the green. Both were exactly 26 feet from the hole. DuBois added to the intensity of the finals when he tied the match on 16 after being down as many as three holes on three occasions, including being three behind with seven holes left. He knocked his third shot 15 feet of the cup.
DuBois was once again clutch in the moment and nailed the par putt for the eventual match-clinching point as his opponent missed his to force extra holes. In the final round of the NCAA Regionals, a seve-shot improvement for a 2-under 69 and bogey-free on the final day helped the Gators erase a seven-shot deficit to advance to Grayhawk.
MADE FOR THE MOMENT
Heading into this season, Matthew Kress had yet to play a collegiate round and only watched the Gators in the postseason. Flash forward to the SEC Championship and the redshirt freshman had a week to remember. He led UF in a second-round surge with a 67 (-3) bouncing back from 74 in round one. Kress wrapped up stroke play with a 69 (-1).
The momentum carried to match play where he was undefeated in match play and secured both match-clinching points in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Out of the 49 total holes in match play, he won 18, tied 22, and only lost nine.
In the finals vs. Vanderbilt, Kress dominated his matchup and secured the first point for the Gators with a 5&4 win.
FIVE WINS
This season Florida has won five team titles and five medalist honors - Fred Biondi (2), Ricky Castillo (1), Ryan Hart (1) and Yuxin Lin (1). Two of the wins were collegiate first for Hart and Lin. Biondi's win at Augusta Haskins Award Invite earned him an exemption into the 3M Open and Lin's at Southern Highlands a spot at the Shriners Open.
The five individual titles is only the third time in program history and the first since 2011. The five team victories are tied for the most under head coach J.C. Deacon when Florida won five in the 2016-17 season.
100-PLUS CLUB
Seniors Fred Biondi, Ricky Castillo, John DuBois and Yuxin Lin all have notched 100-plus birdies, led by Castillo with a career-high of 139.
Castillo has recorded 100-plus in the last three seasons and nearly all four as he had 89 in 2019-20 prior to Covid-19 stopping the season. For Biondi and Lin its the second straight season reaching the marks and a career first for DuBois.
A LOT OF ROUNDS
Florida's senior class have all played 90-plus rounds in their collegiate career, led by Ricky Castillo with 122, who has never missed a tournament in his Gator tenure. On Sunday, May 28th, when Fred Biondi and Yuxin Lin tee off at Grayhawk it will mark the 100th collegiate round. Currently, John DuBois has played 93 total rounds.
CONFERENCE HARDWARE
Florida claimed six conference awards, highlighted by J.C. Deacon being named SEC Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. Other honors included Yuixn Lin First Team and Community Service Team, Fred Biondi and Ricky Castillo Second Team and Matthew Kress on the Freshman Team.
In the regular season, UF earned five SEC Golfer of the Week honors, second most in the conference.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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