Saturday, February 15
Gainesville, Fla.
7:45 a.m. (36 holes)
Florida Gators
vs
Gators Invitational
No. 13 Florida set for 48th Gators Invitational
Thursday, February 13, 2025 | Men's Golf
Play begins on Saturday at 7:45 a.m. at Mark Bostick Golf Course.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Dates: Saturday, Feb. 15 - Sunday, Feb. 16
Location: Mark Bostick Golf Course - Gainesville, Fla.
Host: University of Florida
Course Par/Yardage: 70 / 6,701 yards
Format: 36 holes on Saturday and 18 on Sunday
Tee Times: Modified shotgun start; 7:45 a.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. on Sunday
Scoring: Golfstat
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
TEE OFF
The No. 13 Florida men's golf team is set to host the 48th Gators Invitational this weekend (Feb. 15-16) at Mark Bostick Golf Course.
LINE UP
No. 1 - Ian Gilligan
No. 2 - Jack Turner
No. 3 - Luke Poulter
No. 4 - Rylan Shim
No. 5 - Parker Sands
Individual - Parker Bell
Individual - Ryan Hart
Individual - Matthew Kress
Individual - Zack Swanwick
SPECTATOR/FAN INFO
Admission is free for the tournament at Mark Bostick Golf Course.
Additional parking on Saturday will be at the UF Law School and CampusView Church. Parking on Sunday will be at the UF Law School only.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Florida has defended its home course and event, winning the event 30 times and has won the last five straight. From 1987-2011, the Gators won the event 20 times and nine straight between 1989-1997.
Last season, the Gators showed its depth as they had two teams competing and finished 1-2 back-to-back years with Florida A winning with a 54-hole score of 814 (-26) and Florida B just three shots back. In 2023, it was a 14-shot difference between Florida's teams.
In round two of last year's event, Ian Gilligan shot bogey-free round of 62 (-8) tied the program record that was set by Camilo Villegas in 2003.
COMPETING TEAMS (NCAA Rankings as of Feb. 12)
Charlotte, Eastern Michigan, Florida Gulf Coast, No. 13 Florida, Furman, Georgia Southern, Jacksonville, Liberty, North Florida, No. 7 Oklahoma State, Penn State, South Florida, UCF and West Virginia.
LAST TIME OUT
After shooting 9-over and sitting in 8th, Florida shot -3 and -1 over the next two rounds to finish 5th in the spring opener at the Southwestern Invitational.
Ian Gilligan finished runner-up with a 54-hole score of 4-under 209, one-shot behind the individual champion, Wells Williams (Vanderbilt). The senior has now accumulated 12 top-5, 20 top-20 and 27 top-25 career finishes. He had a final round of 1-under 70 as he was named to the Ben Hogan Award Watch List earlier in the day. Gilligan led the field in par4 scoring at 3.78 (-6).
Also joining Gilligan on the watch list is Jack Turner, who had a T10 performance at 1-under 212 for his ninth tournament of under par in his 13th collegiate event. The sophomore also has seven top-10 career finishes and three this season (4, T4 & T10). He posted back-to-back final rounds of 2-under 69 as he made four consecutive birdies across holes 7-10 and notched his second eagle this season on the par-5 14th (538 yards).
FALL RECAP
The Orange and Blue concluded the fall slate finishing top-9 in all four outings, highlighted by winning the Barbara Nicklaus Cup, finishing runner-up at the Sahalee Players Championship and shooting the lowest round of the fall (-11) in the final 18-holes of the first half of the season.
Individually, Ian Gilligan (71.0) and Jack Turner (71.1) paced the Gators in stroke average, top-10 finishes (2) and undefeated (3-0) in match play. Turner finished 4th twice and averaged -0.2 per round and -0.6 per tournament.
PRESEASON RECOGNITION
UF was tabbed No. 8 in the Golf Channel preseason rankings along with Parker Bell and Ian Gilligan named preseason all-americans by the network.
Gilligan also earned a spot on the Haskins Award Fall Watch List and was tabbed No. 8 in the PGA Tour U Rankings to begin the season, he is currently ranked No. 5.
NEW GATORS
The Orange and Blue welcomed two new golfers this season in Parker Sands (Edmond, Okla.) and Zack Swanwick (Hawke's Bay, New Zealand). This summer, Sands won the 2024 Western Junior and the OGA (Oklahoma Golf Association) Junior Championship. Swanwick was the low amateur at the New Zealand Open and placed 3rd at the 2024 Austrian Masters of Amateur.
Recently, Florida announced the addition of transfer Noah Kent from Iowa. He will compete for the Gators starting next fall and is from Naples and played at Gulf Coast Prep.
A SEASON AGO
Following Florida's SEC and National Championship Titles, the Gators featured a new look lineup while three First-Team All-Americans - Fred Biondi (NCAA Individual Champion), Ricky Castillo and Yuxin Lin - all departed. Returning from the title teams was John DuBois and Matthew Kress.
After a shaky last fall, the Gators responded with five wins in the spring to total six on the season. Florida recorded consecutive seasons with six wins for the first time since 1973-74 and 1974-75. UF ended the spring portion of the season with five tournament wins and a 4th place finish at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, that featured Ian Gilligan winning medalist honors and earning an exemption into the PGA Tour's 2024 Shriners Open in October.
The Orange and Blue have now claimed 27 team titles under head coach J.C. Deacon in 10 seasons. It marked the seventh season under Deacon UF has won multiple tournaments in a year and fourth of three-plus. Six tournament wins in a season is tied for the most under Deacon, which came last season and included an SEC and National Championship.
The new look Gators left their mark in the postseason. At the SEC Championship, UF was led by true freshman Jack Turner, who posted a team-best T2 finish in his first conference tournament start. The performance ties the second-best finish by a Gator true freshman at the SEC Championship with Camilo Villegas, who placed T2 in 2001. Vanderbilt and Florida meet for the third straight season in match play SEC Championship with the Commodores edging out the Gators 3-2 in extra holes in the quarterfinals.
Moving to Regionals and entering round three in the final advancing spot by four-shots, the Gators shot a final round of 2-under to take 3rd and make the cut by 12 strokes.Through the first hour-and-half in the final rounds, teams battled rainy and cold conditions. Florida put together great start and setup for success when the rain stopped, with a combined 1-under on the first hole (#10) and was even-par on counting scores through the first five holes in the rain.
Florida made a charge in the final nine holes after finding itself 1-over at the turn and only a four-shot advantage over Indiana, who had just teed off its round its. The Florida separation began with a trio of birdies from Parker Bell, John DuBois and Ian Gilligan. Then Jack Turner put the Hoosiers and Mississippi State's comeback efforts out of reach with a birdie on six to go up by 10 shots and into fourth place.
At the NCAA National Championship, Florida concluded with an 11th-place finish and battled for back-to-back match play appearances. An important 1-under 287 third round on Saturday helped advance Florida to the final round of stroke play for the third consecutive season. The Gators started the day in eighth, and in the final match-play spot with a one-shot advantage. The Orange and Blue continued its streak of five straight top-11 finishes after winning the national title - 1974: 2nd, 1994: 3rd, 1969: T5 and 2002: T11.
SUMMER RECAP
Across the board, the Gators captured success this summer, highlighted by securing three spots on the 2024 Western Amateur Semifinals in Parker Bell, Ian Gilligan and Jack Turner. Gilligan and Turner met in a marathon final with Gilligan winning in the 29-hole final. The victory also marked a Gator sweep of the Western with incoming freshman Parker Sands winning the Western Junior.
Bell made his major debut in the U.S. Open and made the first birdie of the tournament and was the leader at one point. He shot a final round of 70 and led the field in driving distance of 346.9 compared to 310.9 in the first two rounds. The junior also finished 4th at the Southern Amateur.
Gilligan made his PGA Tour Debut at the Barracuda Championship, making the cut and finishing T40. He also was part of Team USA's victory at the Arnold Palmer Cup and reached the quarterfinals of the North & South Amateur.
Redshirt-freshman Rylan Shim closed out the summer with a 3rd place outing at the Canaidan Amatuer to go with a semifinals berth at the VSGA (Virginia State Golf Association) Amateur.
Ryan Hart collected medalist honors at Wykagyl Country Club to secure a spot in the U.S. Amateur.
THE TURN
Ian Gilligan looks to defend his title as Florida heads to the Southern Highlands Collegiate from March 2-4.
Dates: Saturday, Feb. 15 - Sunday, Feb. 16
Location: Mark Bostick Golf Course - Gainesville, Fla.
Host: University of Florida
Course Par/Yardage: 70 / 6,701 yards
Format: 36 holes on Saturday and 18 on Sunday
Tee Times: Modified shotgun start; 7:45 a.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. on Sunday
Scoring: Golfstat
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
TEE OFF
The No. 13 Florida men's golf team is set to host the 48th Gators Invitational this weekend (Feb. 15-16) at Mark Bostick Golf Course.
LINE UP
No. 1 - Ian Gilligan
No. 2 - Jack Turner
No. 3 - Luke Poulter
No. 4 - Rylan Shim
No. 5 - Parker Sands
Individual - Parker Bell
Individual - Ryan Hart
Individual - Matthew Kress
Individual - Zack Swanwick
SPECTATOR/FAN INFO
Admission is free for the tournament at Mark Bostick Golf Course.
Additional parking on Saturday will be at the UF Law School and CampusView Church. Parking on Sunday will be at the UF Law School only.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Florida has defended its home course and event, winning the event 30 times and has won the last five straight. From 1987-2011, the Gators won the event 20 times and nine straight between 1989-1997.
Last season, the Gators showed its depth as they had two teams competing and finished 1-2 back-to-back years with Florida A winning with a 54-hole score of 814 (-26) and Florida B just three shots back. In 2023, it was a 14-shot difference between Florida's teams.
In round two of last year's event, Ian Gilligan shot bogey-free round of 62 (-8) tied the program record that was set by Camilo Villegas in 2003.
COMPETING TEAMS (NCAA Rankings as of Feb. 12)
Charlotte, Eastern Michigan, Florida Gulf Coast, No. 13 Florida, Furman, Georgia Southern, Jacksonville, Liberty, North Florida, No. 7 Oklahoma State, Penn State, South Florida, UCF and West Virginia.
LAST TIME OUT
After shooting 9-over and sitting in 8th, Florida shot -3 and -1 over the next two rounds to finish 5th in the spring opener at the Southwestern Invitational.
Ian Gilligan finished runner-up with a 54-hole score of 4-under 209, one-shot behind the individual champion, Wells Williams (Vanderbilt). The senior has now accumulated 12 top-5, 20 top-20 and 27 top-25 career finishes. He had a final round of 1-under 70 as he was named to the Ben Hogan Award Watch List earlier in the day. Gilligan led the field in par4 scoring at 3.78 (-6).
Also joining Gilligan on the watch list is Jack Turner, who had a T10 performance at 1-under 212 for his ninth tournament of under par in his 13th collegiate event. The sophomore also has seven top-10 career finishes and three this season (4, T4 & T10). He posted back-to-back final rounds of 2-under 69 as he made four consecutive birdies across holes 7-10 and notched his second eagle this season on the par-5 14th (538 yards).
FALL RECAP
The Orange and Blue concluded the fall slate finishing top-9 in all four outings, highlighted by winning the Barbara Nicklaus Cup, finishing runner-up at the Sahalee Players Championship and shooting the lowest round of the fall (-11) in the final 18-holes of the first half of the season.
Individually, Ian Gilligan (71.0) and Jack Turner (71.1) paced the Gators in stroke average, top-10 finishes (2) and undefeated (3-0) in match play. Turner finished 4th twice and averaged -0.2 per round and -0.6 per tournament.
PRESEASON RECOGNITION
UF was tabbed No. 8 in the Golf Channel preseason rankings along with Parker Bell and Ian Gilligan named preseason all-americans by the network.
Gilligan also earned a spot on the Haskins Award Fall Watch List and was tabbed No. 8 in the PGA Tour U Rankings to begin the season, he is currently ranked No. 5.
NEW GATORS
The Orange and Blue welcomed two new golfers this season in Parker Sands (Edmond, Okla.) and Zack Swanwick (Hawke's Bay, New Zealand). This summer, Sands won the 2024 Western Junior and the OGA (Oklahoma Golf Association) Junior Championship. Swanwick was the low amateur at the New Zealand Open and placed 3rd at the 2024 Austrian Masters of Amateur.
Recently, Florida announced the addition of transfer Noah Kent from Iowa. He will compete for the Gators starting next fall and is from Naples and played at Gulf Coast Prep.
A SEASON AGO
Following Florida's SEC and National Championship Titles, the Gators featured a new look lineup while three First-Team All-Americans - Fred Biondi (NCAA Individual Champion), Ricky Castillo and Yuxin Lin - all departed. Returning from the title teams was John DuBois and Matthew Kress.
After a shaky last fall, the Gators responded with five wins in the spring to total six on the season. Florida recorded consecutive seasons with six wins for the first time since 1973-74 and 1974-75. UF ended the spring portion of the season with five tournament wins and a 4th place finish at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, that featured Ian Gilligan winning medalist honors and earning an exemption into the PGA Tour's 2024 Shriners Open in October.
The Orange and Blue have now claimed 27 team titles under head coach J.C. Deacon in 10 seasons. It marked the seventh season under Deacon UF has won multiple tournaments in a year and fourth of three-plus. Six tournament wins in a season is tied for the most under Deacon, which came last season and included an SEC and National Championship.
The new look Gators left their mark in the postseason. At the SEC Championship, UF was led by true freshman Jack Turner, who posted a team-best T2 finish in his first conference tournament start. The performance ties the second-best finish by a Gator true freshman at the SEC Championship with Camilo Villegas, who placed T2 in 2001. Vanderbilt and Florida meet for the third straight season in match play SEC Championship with the Commodores edging out the Gators 3-2 in extra holes in the quarterfinals.
Moving to Regionals and entering round three in the final advancing spot by four-shots, the Gators shot a final round of 2-under to take 3rd and make the cut by 12 strokes.Through the first hour-and-half in the final rounds, teams battled rainy and cold conditions. Florida put together great start and setup for success when the rain stopped, with a combined 1-under on the first hole (#10) and was even-par on counting scores through the first five holes in the rain.
Florida made a charge in the final nine holes after finding itself 1-over at the turn and only a four-shot advantage over Indiana, who had just teed off its round its. The Florida separation began with a trio of birdies from Parker Bell, John DuBois and Ian Gilligan. Then Jack Turner put the Hoosiers and Mississippi State's comeback efforts out of reach with a birdie on six to go up by 10 shots and into fourth place.
At the NCAA National Championship, Florida concluded with an 11th-place finish and battled for back-to-back match play appearances. An important 1-under 287 third round on Saturday helped advance Florida to the final round of stroke play for the third consecutive season. The Gators started the day in eighth, and in the final match-play spot with a one-shot advantage. The Orange and Blue continued its streak of five straight top-11 finishes after winning the national title - 1974: 2nd, 1994: 3rd, 1969: T5 and 2002: T11.
SUMMER RECAP
Across the board, the Gators captured success this summer, highlighted by securing three spots on the 2024 Western Amateur Semifinals in Parker Bell, Ian Gilligan and Jack Turner. Gilligan and Turner met in a marathon final with Gilligan winning in the 29-hole final. The victory also marked a Gator sweep of the Western with incoming freshman Parker Sands winning the Western Junior.
Bell made his major debut in the U.S. Open and made the first birdie of the tournament and was the leader at one point. He shot a final round of 70 and led the field in driving distance of 346.9 compared to 310.9 in the first two rounds. The junior also finished 4th at the Southern Amateur.
Gilligan made his PGA Tour Debut at the Barracuda Championship, making the cut and finishing T40. He also was part of Team USA's victory at the Arnold Palmer Cup and reached the quarterfinals of the North & South Amateur.
Redshirt-freshman Rylan Shim closed out the summer with a 3rd place outing at the Canaidan Amatuer to go with a semifinals berth at the VSGA (Virginia State Golf Association) Amateur.
Ryan Hart collected medalist honors at Wykagyl Country Club to secure a spot in the U.S. Amateur.
THE TURN
Ian Gilligan looks to defend his title as Florida heads to the Southern Highlands Collegiate from March 2-4.
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