The No. 2 Florida men’s golf team came up short during the final round of the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
The Gators put up a valiant effort during the final round of the tournament but were unable to overcome their inconsistent play and mental errors on their way to a runner-up finish.
A bright spot for Florida, though, was freshman Sam Horsfield, who overcame the tough conditions at the Southern Highlands course to capture the second victory of his collegiate career.
“That’s an elite win,” coach J.C. Deacon said in a release. “(Horsfield) beat the best players in college golf on probably the best venue we could face.”
UF began Round 3 nine shots back of No. 8 Southern California. The Gators, led by the hot play of sophomore Alejandro Tosti before he was disqualified from individual competition following Monday’s round, fired a 5-under 31 on the front nine to close the gap to just two entering the final nine holes.
“We were awesome (Wednesday). We really were,” Deacon said. “From top to bottom, all five of the guys played their butts off.”
The comeback wouldn’t last, though.
The Gators stumbled down the stretch and finished the tournament at 9 over par, four shots back of the Trojans (5 over), who took home the trophy.
At the conclusion of Round 1, the Gators originally held a 1-stroke lead at plus 3. That was before Tosti was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. The resulting blunder dropped UF into seventh place at plus 7.
The difference?
If Tosti’s first-round score were to have counted, UF would have found themselves in a playoff with the opportunity to give its second-year head coach a win at the site of his former days as a collegiate golfer and assistant coach at UNLV.
Instead, the Gators went home empty-handed.
“I thought we should have won,” Deacon said. “The tournament was ours.”
Horsfield was solid on a day where only five other players were able to break par. The freshman carded three birdies and only one bogey to shoot a 2-under 70, his ninth-straight round of par or better, giving him a comfortable four-shot victory at 7 under.
“I’m just so happy for him,” Deacon said. “He came to Florida and wanted to win more, and he’s starting to do it.”
However, Horsfield was the only Gator to shoot under par in Round 3.
Tosti, who had five birdies on the opening nine, closed with three bogeys and a double to shoot a 5-over 41 on the back nine en route to an even-par 72.
Freshman Jorge Garcia got his final round to 1 under when he birdied the par-4 fifth hole. His first birdie of the round would be his only birdie of the round. Three bogeys and a double led to a 4-over 76 on Day 3, giving him a share of 19th place at 5 over.
Freshman Kyler Tate shot a 2-over 74 to round out the Gators’ top-four scorers. He finished in a tie for 51st at plus 11.
UF returns home with over a week to prepare for its next event. The Gators will return to action on March 21 looking to capture their second victory of the Spring season at the Valspar Collegiate in Palm Beach.
“Looking forward, this was a national-championship caliber field,” Deacon said. “We were right in the mix, and that’s where we want to be come late May.”
Contact Ray Boone at rboone@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @rboone1994.
Sam Horsfield lines up a shot to start the third round of the SunTrust Invitational on Feb. 21, 2016, at UF's Mark Bostic Golf Course.
