Four Florida golfers received national recognition on Thursday.
Addie Baggarly and Annabell Fuller were featured on this list for the ANNIKA Award, which is given to the best women’s collegiate golfer. On the men’s side, Ricky Castillo and Joe Pagdin’s names were listed on the Haskins Award list, honoring the top male collegiate golfer in the U.S.
The ANNIKA Award is named after Annika Sörenstam, one of the best female golfers in history. Baggarly enters her senior season off a career year. She was named 2020 Second Team All-SEC, competing in seven events for the Gators. Her highest finish was at the Cougar Classic, where she placed fourth. Baggarly enters 2020 as the No. 122 ranked amateur golfer in the world, according to the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).
Fuller enters her sophomore season after enrolling early in the spring. She appeared in three events for the Gators during the shortened spring season, placing in the top 25 twice and finishing third in the Gators Invitational. Over the summer, the England native won the 2020 English Women’s Open Amateur Stroke Play tournament. Fuller is currently ranked as the No. 28 player in the WAGR.
On the men’s side, the Haskins Award is named after former golf pro Fred Haskins. Castillo is coming off a fantastic freshman campaign where he won the 2020 NCAA Division I Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award and the SEC Freshman of the Year award. He also competed in the 2020 U.S. Open as an amateur, earning a spot in the tournament by being the No. 2 ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Pagdin is entering his freshman season at UF. He is currently the No. 29 ranked player in the WAGR. He won the Future Masters in both 2015 and 2016. Pagdin has represented the England Boys Team each of the last three years as well. He made history when he committed to Florida, making his decision at just 13-years-old, the youngest commit in UF golf history.
Both the men’s and women’s teams start their fall seasons at the Blessings Collegiate Invitational Oct. 5 to Oct. 7, which will be shown live on the Golf Channel.
Contact Michael Hull at mhull@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @Michael_Hull33.
Addie Baggarly (pictured), Annabell Fuller, Ricky Castillo and Joe Pagdin earned spots on national collegiate watchlists Thursday.
Michael Hull is a fourth-year journalism sports & media major and a sports writer at The Alligator. He hosts the weekly sports podcast and has worked on staff for five semesters. In the past, Hull has served as the sports editor, the men's and women's golf beat writer, the volleyball beat writer and the football beat writer.
