It was a clash of conferences at the DICK’s Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup, as six teams from the Southeastern Conference and six teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference faced off in an 18-hole match play competition on Sunday.
Florida did their part for the SEC at the Golf Club of Tennessee in Kingston Springs, defeating No. 17 Georgia Tech 3-2 thanks to victories by junior Ryan Orr and freshman Jorge Garcia.
"It’s a really awesome format," head coach JC Deacon said in a release.
"I think it’s really exciting, and I think that’s why the Golf Channel and people have gravitated to it.
"There are a lot of nerves and a lot of important shots that come up, and I think the guys had a lot of fun."
With five Gators pitted against five Yellow Jackets, Orr defeated Michael Hines by two holes and Garcia defeated Chris Petefish by four holes.
Freshman Sam Horsfield finished in a tie with Vince Whaley while freshman Gordon Neale tied with Jacob Joiner. Meanwhile, sophomore Ryan Celano lost to James Clark by a three-hole margin.
Despite UF’s 3-2 win over GT, as a whole, the SEC fell to the ACC, 15.5-14.5.
The SEC got help from two Tennessee schools, as tournament host No. 12 Vanderbilt defeated Virginia and Tennessee defeated No. 7 Clemson.
For the ACC, Louisville defeated No. 25 Alabama, No. 1 Florida State defeated No. 10 Georgia and No. 13 Duke defeated Kentucky.
The tournament also featured a 54-hole stroke play competition on Friday and Saturday, in which UF tied for 7th out of 12 teams.
While Orr ended Friday tied for third at four-under par, he landed in a tie for 13th place after shooting a 5-over 76.
Freshmen Horsfield (T16) and Garcia (T31) finished the tournament at 2-over and 6-over, respectively.
"We let frustration get the best of us, and we had an absolutely awful finish," Deacon said.
"For great teams, that’s unacceptable. I hope these guys take it personally today and go home and focus on finishing strong the rest of the year. We didn’t do that today."
Vanderbilt won the stroke play portion at 3-under after defeating Virginia in a playoff. Florida State took third place at 6-over.
Alabama’s Robby Shelton took the individual win with an 8-under finish, and Florida State’s Hank Lebioda took second place, finishing 5-under.
While the Gators underperformed on Friday and Saturday, Deacon was pleased to see improvement on Sunday after a team meeting.
"We talked a lot about attitude and effort and self-talk, and the guys came out and were just incredible today — all five of them," Deacon said.
"It was a small step to get one win against Georgia Tech, but it a big step overall because I think we set the tone for what to expect the rest of the year."
Follow Matt Brannon on Twitter @MattB_727
UF men's golf coach J.C. Deacon speaks during a press conference in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Led by first-year head coach JC Deacon, the Florida men's golf team returned to the NCAA Championship last season. Here's Ryan Summer's story on the occasion (http://www.alligator.org/sports/golf/article_982fe4ae-fdf2-11e4-833b-83c78d3e0d3f.html)
