It’s the final tournament of the fall season for the Florida men’s golf team, which means it’s the last chance for the team to build momentum before the daunting spring season which includes the SEC Championship and the NCAA Championships.
The Gators head to Estero, Fla., for the two-day Florida Gulf Coast Invitational at the Old Corkscrew Golf Club, which starts today.
Florida will be sending seven players to the tournament.
The lineup includes seniors J.D. Tomlinson and Thomas Stewart, junior A.J. Crouch, sophomore Ryan Orr and freshman Ryan Celano. Junior Richard Donegan and freshman Ramsey Touchberry will be competing as individuals.
Assistant coach John Handrigan will be overseeing the team, as coach J.C. Deacon is away from the team as he’s getting married. Florida will have a chance to prove themselves against one of the top teams in the country on the first day, as they will be paired up with No. 2 Florida State.
“We’re playing with Florida State the first day, and they won the tournament we just played in,” Handrigan said in a release. “They’re playing well and an in-state rival, so it’s going to be good to go head-to-head with them the first two rounds of this tournament.”
Other than Florida State, no other team in the field is ranked in the top 25 in the nation. A total of 14 teams will be competing in the tournament, including six teams from the state of Florida.
After starting off the fall season with a 13th place finish and then being able to bounce back and have a better score in each tournament afterwards, Handrigan sees the team as much improved heading into the final event of the fall.
“The guys are doing well and definitely improved quite a bit in the last two months, so I feel we’re moving in the right direction,” Handrigan said. “This week will be a good week to continue in that direction.”
The team’s goal for the tournament is simple enough. They feel they have a great chance to finish as one of the top teams for the event, if not win the tournament outright.
“It’s always great to go out on a good note, and that’s our main goal here,” Handrigan said. “It would be great to go out with a win, but it’s a field we definitely think we can win with or come in the top two.”
J.D. Tomlinson tees off on Day 2 of the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 16 at the Mark Bostick Golf Course.
