Florida was trailing Alabama going into the final round on Saturday night. But on Sunday, the Gators rolled past the Tide to win the Mason Rudolph Championship by one stroke.
Led by sophomore Sam Horsfield, Florida shot 13 under on the last day to beat Alabama and third-place Vanderbilt. Horsfield, the individual winner of the tournament, shot a bogey-free final round to finish 11 under for the weekend. The sophomore birdied four of the final six holes, including holes 17 and 18, to shoot 5 under on the day. And while this was Horsfield’s second straight year winning the tournament, he wasn’t the only UF golfer to show up on Sunday.
Both Gordon Neale and Alejandro Tosti were able to match Horsfield’s final round score. Neale, a sophomore from Dove Canyon, California, eagled the final hole to go along with a birdie on 17. Neale was able to complement a 33 on the front nine with another 33 on the back nine. He finished in a tie for third place.
Tosti, the final golfer in this weekend’s lineup, matched Horsfield’s round with a bogey-free day. The junior had four birdies on the back nine, including three straight birdies from holes 12 to 14. After missing last week’s tournament, Tosti was able to secure his fifth top-10 finish of the year. It was the first time this Spring that the Gators had three players finish in the top 10. Coach J.C. Deacon was more than pleased with his team’s performance.
“It was some of the most clutch, gutsy golf that I’ve ever seen from a team,” Deacon said. “They played their best golf when they needed it the most, and that’s what we all strive to do when we’re practicing and preparing for tournaments. And they accomplished it today.”
Florida also came back from a Day 2 deficit for the second tournament in a row. Last week, the Gators trailed Georgia Southern by eight strokes after the second day of play at the Schenkel Invitational. This week, the Gators were able to outplay Alabama after trailing the Crimson Tide by a single stroke going into the final round. It was Florida’s fifth win of the season and only the eighth time since 1965 that they have won five tournaments in a season.
“We’re just getting going,” Deacon said. “This is when this team wanted to shine, in the postseason, and this is what we’re built for. This is a great step leading into the postseason, but our work is just beginning, so we’ve got a long way to go and hopefully a lot more numbers to add to the [five wins this season].”
Andy Zhang finished in a tie for 12th despite shooting 2 over on the round. He carded two rounds under par over the first two days of competition.
Ryan Orr also competed for the Gators, finishing in a tie for 49th and shooting 9 over. Ryan Celano, who competed as an individual, also finished tied for 49th.
The Gators don’t compete again until the SEC Championship in St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, on April 21. Last year, Florida finished in a tie for third at the tournament.
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i = individual
Horsfield 1 -11
Neale T3 -8
Tosti T7 -7
Zhang T12 -4
Orr T49 +9
Celano (i) T49 +9
UF's Sam Horsfield swings during the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 18, 2017, at the Mark Bostic Golf Course.
