In just one week, freshman Ryan Celano has gone from an unknown commodity to winning the qualifying for the Wolf Run Intercollegiate to having the best tournament of any player on the Florida men’s golf team in Zionsville, Ind.
Celano acted as the catalyst for the Gators as they finished in second place in their second event of the year.
Celano completed the tournament at 6-over-par, which was good enough for a tie in sixth place.
Coach J.C. Deacon was happy with the way Celano played in his opening tournament.
"I’m really proud of Ryan Celano," Deacon said in a release. "He finished in sixth place individually. It was a wonderful start for his college career, and he showed us what he can do and how good he can be."
Celano’s performance in Zionsville comes on the heels of winning the qualifying for the tournament the week before by four strokes.
Celano not only competed with veterans, but was also able to dominate in the qualifying after heading into the final day with an eight shot lead.
The Gators sorely needed someone to come into the lineup and provide life to the team after a disappointing first tournament.
Deacon and the coaching staff made a couple of changes to the lineup and were able to strike gold with Celano.
In Zionsville, Celano improved his score in each round, and after shooting a 4-over-par in the first round, he shot a 2-over, 73 in the second round.
In the final day, Celano shot an even-par round and was able to move up eight spots on the leaderboard to sixth place. Celano’s score was two strokes better than senior and teammate J.D. Tomlinson.
Prior to coming to Florida, Celano was able to have a successful prep career where he was given numerous honors including being named the Naples Daily News Area Player of the Year four times.
He followed up his prep career with a successful amateur career before arriving at UF.
With all the success Celano already has in his golfing career, Deacon said Celano has all the tools necessary to become an impact player.
"He’s just a great player," Deacon said. "He’s got all the shots, he’s got the power, he’s got the finesse and he really wants to be great. He’s willing to put in the extra effort."
Follow Luis Torres on Twitter @LFTorresIII
