Sam Horsfield came to the final hole of the Mason Rudolph Championship on Sunday with a two-shot lead over fellow Florida freshman Gordon Neale.
Horsfield piped his drive down the middle of the fairway on the 522-yard par 5 and was left with just a 6-iron to the green.
With Neale just 30 feet away for eagle, the pressure was on.
Horsfield sized up his approach and went to work.
The nation’s fourth-ranked player hit a perfect shot.
The right height. The right distance. The right spot.
"It was like I was talking to him in the practice round," Florida coach J.C. Deacon said of Horsfield on Monday.
"He was just calm, confident. It seems like there’s not an inch of doubt that creeps in, and that’s just such a gift."
Neale managed to birdie the final hole, but it was too little, too late.
Horsfield made a routine two-putt for birdie, and the tournament was over.
A final round, 5-under 66 was enough to give him the third victory of his collegiate career.
With the win, Horsfield joined an elite group of Gator golfers. Since 1977, only five UF players have won at least three events in a season, including PGA Tour winners Chris DiMarco, Brian Gay and Camilo Villegas.
On Sunday, the Davenport native became the sixth, making him the winningest freshman in UF history.
Throughout the season, Horsfield has shown an uncanny ability to hang around the top of the leaderboard — to the point where it has become commonplace.
"(Sunday) it was kinda like expected," Deacon said of Horsfield’s win. "I tried to explain to him how big of a deal this is every time that he wins because it’s not easy, but he makes it look so easy."
But, for as much as Horsfield finds himself in the winner’s circle, Deacon said that Horsfield doesn’t really talk about winning all that much.
"He just goes about his business," Deacon said.
"He knows if he’s at his best and he’s focused and doing the right things, it’s going to be tough to beat him.
"It’s pretty neat to go to every tournament knowing that if you play your best, you’re going to come out on top."
Deacon said the potential for Horsfield is endless.
The Masters, the first major of the year for the PGA Tour, begins on Thursday.
Deacon said he expects to see Horsfield compete for the coveted green jacket one day.
"His career is gonna be scary," Deacon said.
"I can’t wait to watch what he’s going to do in this game. You know, Masters Week, he’s going to be apart of a lot of those."
Contact Ray Boone at rboone@alligator.org and you can follow him on Twitter @rboone1994.
Sam Horsfield watches his ball roll toward the cup during Day 1 of the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 20, 2016, at the Mark Bostick Golf Course.
