For the second-straight year, the No. 5 Florida men’s golf team was stunned at home by No. 30 South Florida.
The Gators held a slim lead after the first day of competition at the SunTrust Gator Invitational at the Mark Bostick Golf Course, but the Bulls, led by the stellar play of junior Rigel Fernandes, made a charge during the final round, capturing the title for the second year in a row.
USF’s 22-under-par score was the third-lowest team score in tournament history and gave the Bulls an eight-shot victory over second-place Vanderbilt (14 under). Florida finished in third at 13 under par.
USF’s Fernandes, who entered the final round two shots back of UF freshman Sam Horsfield, had an impressive day on the links. He fired a blistering 6-under 64, a round that included six birdies and no bogeys, to capture the individual title at 13 under par.
It was a long day for the Gators, however.
Horsfield, who fired a career-low 63 in the opening round, struggled throughout the day. After making the turn at 1 over, Horsfield fought hard to pick things up on the back nine. However, bogeys on the par-4 13th and par-4 16th would prove to be costly, carding an even-par 70 to place him in second alone.
"I think I got off to a bad start like the rest of the team," Horsfield said after the round. "I didn’t hit quite the shots I was looking for. … Our start kind of hurt us a bit."
The Gators did fight back, though.
Freshman Jorge Garcia, who opened the final round with three straight bogeys, birdied three holes on the back nine en route to a 1-under 69, finishing in a tie for 19th. Redshirt junior A.J. Crouch, who had three bogeys and a double on the front nine, played his last four holes in 3 under to shoot a 2-under 68, placing him in 12th alone. Junior Ryan Orr finished the tournament at plus 3, giving him a share of 30th.
"I’m really proud of the guys. They hung in there today," Horsfield said. "We got off to a bad start, but I just felt like we could have let it go really easily, and we just kinda hung in there to play how we did."
UF coach J.C. Deacon was pleased with the team’s fight throughout the day. He said he wants the team to use this loss as fuel for the rest of the Spring season and to get the team to understand how great it can be.
"I think this is just the beginning for the team," Deacon said. "I’m actually really glad, to be honest. … There’s a lot of positives for us this week individually and as a team.
"I can’t wait to build our plan together and figure out how we’re going to be great going forward."
The Gators will have a few weeks of rest before they return to action on March 7 at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas. Prior to taking the top job at Florida, Deacon served as an assistant coach at UNLV, his alma mater.
Contact Ray Boone at rboone@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @rboone1994.
Sam Horsfield lines up a shot to start the third round of the SunTrust Invitational on Feb. 21, 2016, at UF's Mark Bostic Golf Course.
