The Florida men’s golf team wrapped up the final round of the Carpet Capital Collegiate on Sunday, finishing seventh out of 15 teams. Freshman Sam Horsfield led the way for the Gators at The Farm Golf Club in Dalton, Georgia, ending the tournament tied for fourth place at 1-under par.
The Gators were in 11th place heading into Sunday, but upped their intensity in the third and final round, with Horsfield contributing an even-par 72 and Jorge Garcia totaling a 1-over 73.
No. 8 Auburn won the tournament, finishing ahead of Clemson, No. 6 South Carolina, No. 7 LSU, and tournament host Georgia Tech, rounding out the top five.
Georgia Tech’s Jacob Joiner placed first individually at 4-under out of the tournament’s 81 competitors. Clemson’s Austin Langdale and Stephen Behr tied for second at 3-under. Sam Horsfield and LSU’s Zach Wright tied for fourth.
Horsfield finished with a three-round score of 1-under-par, making two eagles throughout the tournament and six birdies on Saturday alone. Florida head coach J.C. Deacon was impressed by the true freshman in his first collegiate tournament.
“He’s really, really good at golf. That’s the only way I can put it,” Deacon said in a release. “He’s got every part of the game down, and his attitude and determination are starting to match up with that. I think the sky is the limit for him.”
Alejandro Tosti and Jorge Garcia tied for 39th, ending the tournament at 12-over.
Blake Dyer and Kyler Tate finished at 16-over and 17-over, tied for 51st and 55th.
Although Deacon said he was happy to see improvement in each round, he knows that the Gators can do better.
“Today was our best day, for sure, and was really close to being a great day, but we let it get away from us at the end there,” Deacon said. “Great teams finish great rounds off, and we didn’t do that today, so we have to get home and get back to work.”
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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)
