Senior Fred Biondi stood two strokes away from delivering one of the biggest moments in UF men’s golf program history: its first championship victory since 2001.
In 2023, the Florida men’s golf team faced Georgia Tech in match play with the national championship on the line.
On hole 17, Georgia Tech freshman Hiroshi Tai, Biondi’s opponent, sent his shot into the bunker. Biondi knew he had to capitalize, but it wouldn’t be easy. He had to strike the ball over the water and into the putting green for Florida to stand a chance.
Biondi, the NCAA individual champion, did exactly that. His stroke secured Florida’s 3-1 victory over the Yellow Jackets and the NCAA championship title. His teammates ran toward him to celebrate Florida’s victory.
For the first time since 2001, the 2022-23 Florida men’s golf team was crowned the SEC and national champions with head coach J.C. Deacon leading the way.
After the celebrations died down, it was time to focus on the next task at hand: preparing for the 2023-24 season while striving to bring home another championship.
“I just didn’t know what to expect [heading into the season],” Deacon said. “When you lose three All-Americans like that who were the core of your lineup for so long, there’s a lot of questions that need to be answered.”
The three All-Americans from last year’s championship-winning squad were senior Ricky Castillo, fifth-year Yuxin Lin and Biondi.
“You just knew one of those three guys was going to do something big probably every day,” Deacon said.
Lin, Biondi and Castillo departed from Florida after the Gators’ national championship victory. The rest of UF’s roster was filled with young and inexperienced players outside of returning sophomore Matthew Kress and fifth-year John DuBois who were both members of the 2023 national championship team.
Now, Florida is playing in its fourth-straight national championship after placing third in the West Lafayette Regional with a 4-under 860 finish.
The Gators developed at a significant rate since the Fall season with Deacon at the helm. He worked throughout the 2023-24 campaign to develop both under and upperclassmen alike.
In Deacon’s 10 years at UF, he led the Gators to 26 event wins, six appearances in the NCAA championships and an NCAA championship victory.
He builds teams brimming with talent, but the defining trait of his teams is the individual players he’s guided.
Deacon encourages his players to sharpen their game by creating a competitive environment within the team. He fosters this culture through starting qualifiers where Gator golfers compete for a spot in the starting lineup decided by their performance against one another.
“I think it’s more of a ‘sink or swim’ environment here,” Kress said. “You’re either going to rise to the occasion or you’re going to fall out.”
Deacon utilizes the starting qualifiers to put together a lineup based on performance instead of experience. A senior’s spot in the starting lineup is not promised, especially if a freshman is playing better than them.
DuBois has been at the forefront of UF’s competitive environment.
He struggled to find his stride in the fall and early spring, finishing over par in multiple events. His lowest score came at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas in late February, where he finished 14-over 230 and subsequently lost his spot in the starting lineup.
“I think I got ahead of myself a little bit, expectations a little too high,” DuBois said. “There were times where my swing kind of felt off… had a lot of nerves, and I wasn’t sure where I was hitting [the ball].”
Although DuBois lost his spot in the lineup, he had the opportunity to earn it back in Deacon’s starting qualifiers after the SEC championships.
Deacon told DuBois he had to win to earn a spot in the starting lineup at the NCAA Tournament.
“He had one more chance…and he played four great rounds and got back in [the starting lineup],” Deacon said. “[DuBois] earned his spot, and I think that fact that he earned it makes him even more dangerous going into this week.”
DuBois’ strong play in the qualifiers can be attributed to something surprisingly simple: a smile. By smiling, he became more relaxed on the course, and he delivered a better performance.
“My parents were like ‘you just gotta smile a little bit more man,’” DuBois recalled. “[Deacon] and I have gone back and forth on that a lot.”
DuBois struggled to remain at ease in high-pressure moments, and with Deacon’s help, he earned his spot in the NCAA lineup.
While DuBois found his approach was too serious, Deacon found sophomore Parker Bell’s approach was on the opposite end.
Deacon noted Bell lacked a qualitative work ethic in his first season at UF. To reform his behavior, Deacon challenged Bell to grow as a golfer and a person over the last two years.
“His work ethic has gone from a three out of 10 to a 10 out of 10 this year,” Deacon said.
Although Bell only appeared once in the lineup as a freshman, he is now an integral part of Florida’s success in his sophomore year. He’s earned four top-10 finishes this season, including an eighth-place 4-under 212 finish at the West Lafayette Regional.
“I’ve probably been harder on [Bell] than maybe any player I ever had, and we’ve had some really rough moments along the way,” Deacon said. “He’s taken [our advice] to heart, and I think that’s really helped his golf game, too.”
Deacon walked with Bell in nearly every round of every event throughout his sophomore campaign.
“I have not left [Bell’s] side pretty much this whole year,” Deacon noted. “[I’ve been] trying to teach him everything I know about the game and what I’ve seen in the best players.”
While the 2023-24 Florida team didn’t have an ideal start to the regular season, it has grown significantly under Deacon’s leadership and will have the opportunity to win back-to-back national championships for the first time in program history.
The Gators teed off their first round at the NCAA tournament May 24 in Carlsbad, California. Florida will need to place in the top 15 through three rounds of stroke play and follow it up with a top-eight finish in a separate round of stroke play for an opportunity to go back-to-back.
Contact Aiden Wacksman at awacksman@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter at @aidenwacksman.
