Sam Horsfield sank a short putt for birdie on the 18th hole.
By that time, he didn’t even need to see the ball go in.
The freshman bent over, plucked his Titleist Pro V1x out of the cup and it was over.
On Sunday, Horsfield overcame a three-shot deficit on the back nine to win the Mason Rudolph Championship in Franklin, Tennessee.
"The year Sam is putting together is incredible," coach J.C. Deacon said in a release. "It was another big brick in the foundation that he’s building. I’m really happy for him."
As a team, the No. 7 Gators finished in second alone at 4 under, a shot shy of winner No. 5 Vanderbilt, which finished the tournament at 5 under. It was Florida’s first time competing in the event.
The Gators began the final round at the Vanderbilt Legends Club three shots back of the Commodores but couldn’t climb over the hump.
Although Florida and Vanderbilt were neck-and-neck throughout the final 18 — the Gators even held a brief lead during the round — the real battle was between teammates.
Horsfield and fellow UF freshman Gordon Neale battled all day on the 7,100-yard course. Horsfield found himself in familiar territory as he had already won two tournaments this year. Neale, on the other hand, was searching for the first win of his career at Florida.
Horsfield got off to a fast start with a birdie on the first hole to close the gap to a single stroke. Neale fired back quickly, though, with a birdie on the par-4 second. Neale would make two more birdies before the end of the first nine to increase his lead to three shots with only nine holes to go.
Nine holes stood between Neale and victory.
But not if Horsfield had anything to say about it.
Horsfield, the fourth-ranked player in the nation, got off to a hot start on the final nine.
After pars on 10 and 11, the Davenport native rallied off three-straight birdies to take the lead.
And he never looked back.
Neale closed with two bogeys and a birdie on 18 for a final-round 70 to finish in second place at 5 under — the best finish of his career.
Horsfield’s tap-in birdie on the par-5 18th propelled him to a 5-under 66 on Day 2 — the lowest round of the tournament — and earned him the third victory of his collegiate career, becoming the winningest freshman in UF history. Only five other UF players have won at least three events in a season. Arnond Vongvanij, a senior at the time, was the last to do so in 2011.
Perhaps good news for the future, the Gators saw improvement out of freshman Jorge Garcia. Garcia, who hadn’t broken par in a tournament since February, carded a 1-under 70 on Day 2 to finish in 13th place.
The rest of the squad wasn’t as lucky.
Sophomore Alejandro Tosti had an uneven round, posting five bogeys and a double en route to a 2-over 73 to give him a share of 32nd.
Junior Ryan Orr had six bogeys on the back nine to shoot 79, finishing in a tie for 53rd.
Sunday marked the end of the regular season for the Gators. Next up, Florida heads to St. Simons, Georgia, to compete in the Southeastern Conference Championship on April 15.
"We played really well (Sunday), but we just didn’t finish," Deacon said. "Great teams find a way to finish and get the job done … I know the guys are really disappointed, but we’ll use it as motivation for SECs and the postseason.
"I think we’re really close to playing our best golf of the year."
Contact Ray Boone at rboone@alligator.org and you can follow him on Twitter @rboone1994.
Sam Horsfield hits a shot during Round 2 of the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 21, 2016, at the Mark Bostick Golf Course.
