The Gators men’s golf team tied for fourth place in its second tournament of the fall, the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate.
In a field of all 14 SEC schools, Florida finished 15 strokes behind the champion Vanderbilt.
The Gators were led by redshirt sophomore Fred Biondi, who did not play in the Blessings Collegiate Invitational. He came in 15th overall after posting three consistent rounds of golf, shooting 68, 69 and 69 across the tournament, to finish 7-under-par.
Freshman Joe Pagdin followed Biondi, shooting 6-under-par over the three rounds of play. He shot an even-par 71 Tuesday, solidifying his 18th place finish. This is Pagdin’s second straight top-30 placing to start his Florida career.
Sophomore Ricky Castillo finished 5-under-par. He ended the tournament in a tie for 24th, an improvement after finishing tied for 32nd last tournament.
Junior Giovanni Manzoni came in right after Castillo, shooting 5-under-par and coming in a tie for 27th. Freshman Tyler Wilkes rounded out the group, finishing in a tie for 53rd.
Head coach J.C. Deacon felt that his team improved a lot over the three weeks between the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate and the Blessings, saying in a release that getting healthy and having guys at practice changed everything.
The Gators will have 10 days to prepare for their next tournament, the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate, in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.
“We need to stay healthy and continue to build off this performance,” Deacon said in a release. “We now clearly know how good every team in this conference is, and we need to be at our absolute best. The guys and I are excited to get back to work to tidy some things up so we can finish the fall off with a win!”
Contact Michael Hull at mhull@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @Michael_Hull33.
Redshirt sophomore Fred Biondi stares down a hole while practicing at Mark Bostick Golf Course. Biondi led the Gators at Vanderbilt, finishing 15th individually.
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.
