Sunday, March 2
Las Vegas, N.V. / Southern Highlands Golf Club
12:50 p.m. (18 holes)
Florida Gators
at
Southern Highlands Collegiate
Gilligan set to defend title, Florida heads to Southern Highlands
Friday, February 28, 2025 | Men's Golf
The annual competitive field features nine top-25 and 13 top-50 programs.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Dates: Sunday, March 2 - Tuesday, March 4
Location: Southern Highlands GC - Las Vegas, N.V.
Host: UNLV
Course Par/Yardage: 72 / 7,510 yards
Format: 18 holes each day
Tee Times: TBA
Scoring: Clippd
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
TEE OFF
The No. 11/10 Florida men's golf team takes on the highly touted Southern Highlands Collegiate in a field that features nine top-25 teams and 13 in the top-50. P
LINE UP
No. 1 - Ian Gilligan
No. 2 - Jack Turner
No. 3 - Luke Poulter
No. 4 - Rylan Shim
No. 5 - Zack Swanwick
Individual - Matthew Kress
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Gators are set to make their 22nd appearance all-time in the tournament as they won in their debut in the fall of 1992. Florida claimed the title again in 2018 and won by four strokes to finish 5-under. Last year, Ian Gilligan won his first event with a 54-hole score of 208 (-8), marking back-to-back years a Gator golfer claimed medalist honors with Yuxin Lin the season prior. Gilligan became the fourth UF golfer to win the event, joining Sam Horsfield (2016) and Camilo Villegas (2004).
Southern Highlands and UNLV is also the alma mater to head coach J.C. Deacon, who competed for the Rebels from 2001-05.
COMPETING TEAMS (NCAA Rankings as of Feb. 26)
No. 2 Auburn, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 9 Virginia, No. 11 Florida, No. 12 Illinois, No. 16 Georgia Tech, No. 18 SMU, No. 22 San Diego State, No. 24 Pepperdine, No. 26 Texas A&M, No. 30 Georgia, No. 31 UNLV, New Meixco, USC and Washington.
LAST TIME OUT
It was a sweep in the 48th Gators Invitational for the No. 13 Florida men's golf team, winning the home tournament for the sixth consecutive year and Ian Gilligan securing medalist honors in a two-hole playoff on Sunday.
The victory was the 31st overall and 16th sweep (team and individual title) at the home tournament as Florida has now claimed 29 tournament titles under head coach J.C. Deacon in 11 seasons. This is the seventh season under Deacon UF has won multiple tournaments in a year. Gilligan's medalist honors total 23 all-time under Deacon at Florida and at least one in the last four consecutive seasons.
The team and individual results came down in dramatic fashion in the final round at Mark Bostick Golf Course. Florida entered the day with a two-shot lead and battled back multiple times to edge No. 7 Oklahoma State by a shot, who finished second at 16-under.
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.
AWARDS, HONORS & MORE
The duo of Ian Gilligan and Jack Turner were both named to the Ben Hogan Award Watch List, the annual award given to the top men's NCAA college golfer.
Gilligan is currently ranked No. 3 int he PGA Tour U Rankings after starting the season at No. 8. He also won SEC Golfer of the Week for his efforts at the Gators Invitational.
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 Canadian Amateur 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
Two more regular-season tournaments remain with the Schenkel Invitational (March 21-23) and Calusa Cup (April 6-8).
Dates: Sunday, March 2 - Tuesday, March 4
Location: Southern Highlands GC - Las Vegas, N.V.
Host: UNLV
Course Par/Yardage: 72 / 7,510 yards
Format: 18 holes each day
Tee Times: TBA
Scoring: Clippd
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
TEE OFF
The No. 11/10 Florida men's golf team takes on the highly touted Southern Highlands Collegiate in a field that features nine top-25 teams and 13 in the top-50. P
LINE UP
No. 1 - Ian Gilligan
No. 2 - Jack Turner
No. 3 - Luke Poulter
No. 4 - Rylan Shim
No. 5 - Zack Swanwick
Individual - Matthew Kress
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Gators are set to make their 22nd appearance all-time in the tournament as they won in their debut in the fall of 1992. Florida claimed the title again in 2018 and won by four strokes to finish 5-under. Last year, Ian Gilligan won his first event with a 54-hole score of 208 (-8), marking back-to-back years a Gator golfer claimed medalist honors with Yuxin Lin the season prior. Gilligan became the fourth UF golfer to win the event, joining Sam Horsfield (2016) and Camilo Villegas (2004).
Southern Highlands and UNLV is also the alma mater to head coach J.C. Deacon, who competed for the Rebels from 2001-05.
COMPETING TEAMS (NCAA Rankings as of Feb. 26)
No. 2 Auburn, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 9 Virginia, No. 11 Florida, No. 12 Illinois, No. 16 Georgia Tech, No. 18 SMU, No. 22 San Diego State, No. 24 Pepperdine, No. 26 Texas A&M, No. 30 Georgia, No. 31 UNLV, New Meixco, USC and Washington.
LAST TIME OUT
It was a sweep in the 48th Gators Invitational for the No. 13 Florida men's golf team, winning the home tournament for the sixth consecutive year and Ian Gilligan securing medalist honors in a two-hole playoff on Sunday.
The victory was the 31st overall and 16th sweep (team and individual title) at the home tournament as Florida has now claimed 29 tournament titles under head coach J.C. Deacon in 11 seasons. This is the seventh season under Deacon UF has won multiple tournaments in a year. Gilligan's medalist honors total 23 all-time under Deacon at Florida and at least one in the last four consecutive seasons.
The team and individual results came down in dramatic fashion in the final round at Mark Bostick Golf Course. Florida entered the day with a two-shot lead and battled back multiple times to edge No. 7 Oklahoma State by a shot, who finished second at 16-under.
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.
AWARDS, HONORS & MORE
The duo of Ian Gilligan and Jack Turner were both named to the Ben Hogan Award Watch List, the annual award given to the top men's NCAA college golfer.
Gilligan is currently ranked No. 3 int he PGA Tour U Rankings after starting the season at No. 8. He also won SEC Golfer of the Week for his efforts at the Gators Invitational.
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 Canadian Amateur 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
Two more regular-season tournaments remain with the Schenkel Invitational (March 21-23) and Calusa Cup (April 6-8).
Players Mentioned
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