Monday, January 22
Jacksonville, Fla. / Pablo Creek Club
8 a.m. (Match Play)
Florida Gators
vs
Jacksonville
Ian Gilligan won the 2023 Patriot All-America this off-season and is ranked No. 45 amateur in the country.
Gators Set for Spring Opener at Pablo Creek Collegiate Cup
Sunday, January 21, 2024 | Men's Golf
The one-day event will feature match play vs. Jacksonville on Monday.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Dates: Monday, Jan. 22
Location: Pablo Creek Club - Jacksonville, Fla.
Host: Jacksonville University
Course Par/Yardage: 72 / 7,206 yards
Format: Match play
Live Scoring: Golfstat
Tee Times: 8 a.m.
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
TEE OFF
The Florida men's golf team opens the spring season with three straight tournaments in 'Sunshine State' and back-to-back in Jacksonville with the first in a Ryder-Cup style event at the Pablo Creek Collegiate Cup on Monday vs. Jacksonville University.
LINEUPS
Foursomes & four-ball:
Match 1:John DuBois & Ian Gilligan
Match 2: Quentin Debove & Tyler Wilkes
Match 3: Matthew Kress & Jack Turner
Singles:
No. 1 - Tyler Wilkes
No. 2 - Matthew Kress
No. 3 - Jack Turner
No. 4 - Ian Gilligan
No. 5 - Quentin Debove
No. 6 - John DuBois
No. 7 - Parker Bell
FORMAT
The tournament format features three matches of foursomes (alternate shot) and four-ball (best ball) consisting of nine holes each in the morning followed by seven singles matches (18 holes) in the afternoon. The morning session will serve as the practice round for both teams with the singles matches counting towards the final score as the first team with four points will win.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Gators are making its debut in the tournament.
FALL RECAP
UF highlighted the first half of the season with the victory at the Georgetown Intercollegiate with a 17-shot victory behind Matthew Kress' first collegiate victory and the 22nd all-time under head coach J.C. Deacon.
Kress leads the team in stroke average (70.8) followed behind transfer Ian Gilligan, who are both tied for a team-best four top-25 finishes out of five fall tournaments.
PROMOTED
Prior to the 2023-24 season getting underway, head coach J.C. Deacon announced the promotion of Gator Great and assistant Coach Dudley Hart to Associate Head Coach.
Hart was also named an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup this summer at Lahinch Golf Club in Lahinch, Ireland from July 5-7.
NEW GATORS
Florida welcomed three newcomers this season in freshmen Rylan Shim (Centreville, Virginia), and Jack Turner (Orlando, Fla.) and All-American transfer Ian Gilligan (Reno, N.V.)
HISTORIC SEASON REWIND
It was a historic season for the Gators in 2022-23 that led to the program's fifth National Championship and 16th SEC Championship.
Florida captured a national title for the first time in 22 years last week as the Gators swept NCAAs with Fred Biondi winning the NCAA Individual Championship. It was the third UF golfer (Nick Gilliam 2001, Bob Murphy 1966) to achieve the honor and second time in 30 years the program swept both titles. Florida is one of seven schools to achieve the mark twice. The Gators won the NCAA team title, individual title and conference title in the same season for the first time in program history.
Head Coach J.C. Deacon was tabbed both the SEC and National Coach of the Year for the first time in his career as assistant coach Dudley Hart earned National Assistant Coach of the Year. It was the first time in history that UF won both awards in the same season.
UF reached match play at nationals for the first time in program history after playing in the fourth round of stroke play for the fifth time overall. Florida finished stroke play in 2nd with a score of 1118 (-2), its lowest all-time at Grayhawk and first under par team score at the NCAAs since 2006. The 1,118 was the lowest round score at the National Championships in program history. A final round of 279 (-1) marks the third consecutive under round after back-to-back 2-under 278s in round two and three. The 2-under performance by UF is the best round at the NCAA Championships since the opening round in 2007.
Florida made its 56th NCAA Championship appearance this year, ranking fifth most in the country after a third-round comeback at Bath Regional saw Florida erase a seven-shot deficit led by a trio of rounds in the 60s by Yuxin Lin (66, -5), John DuBois (69, -2) and Ricky Castillo (69, -2).
The Gators won the SEC Championship title for the first time in 12 years. The Gators got revenge and defeated No. 1 Vanderbilt 3-1-1 at Sea Island after falling 3-2 in 2022. Senior John DuBois, the 2022 SEC Individual Champion, sank a 15-footer for the match-clinching point.
Florida claimed six team titles and six individual titles this season, the most since seven in 2003-04 as it was the sixth time the Gators have won at least six events in a season. The six medalist honors tied the program record in a season and only the third time in Florida history, the others were in 1989-90 and 2010-11.
Prior to the postseason, the Orange and Blue won four regular season tournaments, including the season opener and finale. At the Augusta Haskins Award Invite, Florida finished 39-under par, to tie second all-time in program history by par and only three shots away from the record (-42). At the Gators Invitational, Florida won its home event for the fourth straight year the 29th time overall in the tournament's 46th occurrence.
Four golfers (Fred Biondi, Ricky Castillo, John DuBois and Yuxin Lin) all earned PING All-American honors, tied for the most selections by a school this year and tied the Florida record. It was the seventh time the Gators had four selections with the last time being in 2006. Biondi, Castillo, Lin and Quentin Debove were also selected to the PING All-Region Team. The trio of Biondi, Castillo and Lin collected All-SEC honors with Matthew Kress collecting freshman team recognition.
Success was also obtained off the course with Biondi, DuBois and Quentin Debove being named GCCA All-American Scholars, which marked the third consecutive years with multiple honorees under Deacon and most selections in a single season in program history.
THE CHAMP RETURNS
Following the national championship victory, senior John DuBois announced his return for his 5th year.
DuBois finished undefeated (3-0) in match play at the NCAA National Championship, including winning his semifinals and finals matches 1Up with victories on 18. He also finished T18 in the stroke play portion with rounds of 70-70-69-72 for a 1-over 281.
A postseason hero, DuBois secured the match-clinching point for Florida's first SEC Championship in 12 years vs. No. 1 Vanderbilt behind his 15-foot par putt. The senior was 3-down multiple times, including through 11 holes. He went 2-1 in match play and owns a career record of 7-2 in postseason match play (SECs and NCAAs).
A PING All-American selection this year, he won the 2022 SEC Individual Championship for his first collegiate win. Unranked by Golfstat at the time, he defeated the No. 1, 2, 8, 12, 13 and 17 ranked players. He became the 25th Gator to win the conference individual title, the most by any SEC school with his first of multiple clutch shots on 18 at Sea Island Golf Club.
DuBois also sent Florida to the SEC Championship Match Play Finals for the first time in program history last year with the match-clinching victory in extra holes (19) after he teed off the 18th hole 1-down.
At the 2023 NCAA Bath Regional, DuBois helped the Gators overcome a seven-shot deficit with a final round of 1-under 69.
THE TURN
The Gators return to Jacksonville the next week (Jan. 29-30) for the Sea Best Invitational at TPC Sawgrass then hosting the Gator Invitational at Mark Bostick Golf Course from Feb. 17-18.
Dates: Monday, Jan. 22
Location: Pablo Creek Club - Jacksonville, Fla.
Host: Jacksonville University
Course Par/Yardage: 72 / 7,206 yards
Format: Match play
Live Scoring: Golfstat
Tee Times: 8 a.m.
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
TEE OFF
The Florida men's golf team opens the spring season with three straight tournaments in 'Sunshine State' and back-to-back in Jacksonville with the first in a Ryder-Cup style event at the Pablo Creek Collegiate Cup on Monday vs. Jacksonville University.
LINEUPS
Foursomes & four-ball:
Match 1:John DuBois & Ian Gilligan
Match 2: Quentin Debove & Tyler Wilkes
Match 3: Matthew Kress & Jack Turner
Singles:
No. 1 - Tyler Wilkes
No. 2 - Matthew Kress
No. 3 - Jack Turner
No. 4 - Ian Gilligan
No. 5 - Quentin Debove
No. 6 - John DuBois
No. 7 - Parker Bell
FORMAT
The tournament format features three matches of foursomes (alternate shot) and four-ball (best ball) consisting of nine holes each in the morning followed by seven singles matches (18 holes) in the afternoon. The morning session will serve as the practice round for both teams with the singles matches counting towards the final score as the first team with four points will win.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Gators are making its debut in the tournament.
FALL RECAP
UF highlighted the first half of the season with the victory at the Georgetown Intercollegiate with a 17-shot victory behind Matthew Kress' first collegiate victory and the 22nd all-time under head coach J.C. Deacon.
Kress leads the team in stroke average (70.8) followed behind transfer Ian Gilligan, who are both tied for a team-best four top-25 finishes out of five fall tournaments.
PROMOTED
Prior to the 2023-24 season getting underway, head coach J.C. Deacon announced the promotion of Gator Great and assistant Coach Dudley Hart to Associate Head Coach.
Hart was also named an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup this summer at Lahinch Golf Club in Lahinch, Ireland from July 5-7.
NEW GATORS
Florida welcomed three newcomers this season in freshmen Rylan Shim (Centreville, Virginia), and Jack Turner (Orlando, Fla.) and All-American transfer Ian Gilligan (Reno, N.V.)
HISTORIC SEASON REWIND
It was a historic season for the Gators in 2022-23 that led to the program's fifth National Championship and 16th SEC Championship.
Florida captured a national title for the first time in 22 years last week as the Gators swept NCAAs with Fred Biondi winning the NCAA Individual Championship. It was the third UF golfer (Nick Gilliam 2001, Bob Murphy 1966) to achieve the honor and second time in 30 years the program swept both titles. Florida is one of seven schools to achieve the mark twice. The Gators won the NCAA team title, individual title and conference title in the same season for the first time in program history.
Head Coach J.C. Deacon was tabbed both the SEC and National Coach of the Year for the first time in his career as assistant coach Dudley Hart earned National Assistant Coach of the Year. It was the first time in history that UF won both awards in the same season.
UF reached match play at nationals for the first time in program history after playing in the fourth round of stroke play for the fifth time overall. Florida finished stroke play in 2nd with a score of 1118 (-2), its lowest all-time at Grayhawk and first under par team score at the NCAAs since 2006. The 1,118 was the lowest round score at the National Championships in program history. A final round of 279 (-1) marks the third consecutive under round after back-to-back 2-under 278s in round two and three. The 2-under performance by UF is the best round at the NCAA Championships since the opening round in 2007.
Florida made its 56th NCAA Championship appearance this year, ranking fifth most in the country after a third-round comeback at Bath Regional saw Florida erase a seven-shot deficit led by a trio of rounds in the 60s by Yuxin Lin (66, -5), John DuBois (69, -2) and Ricky Castillo (69, -2).
The Gators won the SEC Championship title for the first time in 12 years. The Gators got revenge and defeated No. 1 Vanderbilt 3-1-1 at Sea Island after falling 3-2 in 2022. Senior John DuBois, the 2022 SEC Individual Champion, sank a 15-footer for the match-clinching point.
Florida claimed six team titles and six individual titles this season, the most since seven in 2003-04 as it was the sixth time the Gators have won at least six events in a season. The six medalist honors tied the program record in a season and only the third time in Florida history, the others were in 1989-90 and 2010-11.
Prior to the postseason, the Orange and Blue won four regular season tournaments, including the season opener and finale. At the Augusta Haskins Award Invite, Florida finished 39-under par, to tie second all-time in program history by par and only three shots away from the record (-42). At the Gators Invitational, Florida won its home event for the fourth straight year the 29th time overall in the tournament's 46th occurrence.
Four golfers (Fred Biondi, Ricky Castillo, John DuBois and Yuxin Lin) all earned PING All-American honors, tied for the most selections by a school this year and tied the Florida record. It was the seventh time the Gators had four selections with the last time being in 2006. Biondi, Castillo, Lin and Quentin Debove were also selected to the PING All-Region Team. The trio of Biondi, Castillo and Lin collected All-SEC honors with Matthew Kress collecting freshman team recognition.
Success was also obtained off the course with Biondi, DuBois and Quentin Debove being named GCCA All-American Scholars, which marked the third consecutive years with multiple honorees under Deacon and most selections in a single season in program history.
THE CHAMP RETURNS
Following the national championship victory, senior John DuBois announced his return for his 5th year.
DuBois finished undefeated (3-0) in match play at the NCAA National Championship, including winning his semifinals and finals matches 1Up with victories on 18. He also finished T18 in the stroke play portion with rounds of 70-70-69-72 for a 1-over 281.
A postseason hero, DuBois secured the match-clinching point for Florida's first SEC Championship in 12 years vs. No. 1 Vanderbilt behind his 15-foot par putt. The senior was 3-down multiple times, including through 11 holes. He went 2-1 in match play and owns a career record of 7-2 in postseason match play (SECs and NCAAs).
A PING All-American selection this year, he won the 2022 SEC Individual Championship for his first collegiate win. Unranked by Golfstat at the time, he defeated the No. 1, 2, 8, 12, 13 and 17 ranked players. He became the 25th Gator to win the conference individual title, the most by any SEC school with his first of multiple clutch shots on 18 at Sea Island Golf Club.
DuBois also sent Florida to the SEC Championship Match Play Finals for the first time in program history last year with the match-clinching victory in extra holes (19) after he teed off the 18th hole 1-down.
At the 2023 NCAA Bath Regional, DuBois helped the Gators overcome a seven-shot deficit with a final round of 1-under 69.
THE TURN
The Gators return to Jacksonville the next week (Jan. 29-30) for the Sea Best Invitational at TPC Sawgrass then hosting the Gator Invitational at Mark Bostick Golf Course from Feb. 17-18.
Players Mentioned
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