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Wednesday, the Gators men’s golf team defeated Georgia Tech 3-1 in the match-play competition final of the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. Florida earned its fifth national title in program history.
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Senior Fred Biondi’s par on the 18th hole locked up the Gators national championship. Biondi also earned the NCAA Individual Championship on Tuesday. Despite all of his accomplishments on the year, Biondi did not want the spotlight to just be on him.
“Winning as a team means so much more,” Biondi said in an article from FloridaGators.com. “It’s not just me closing it out it’s every single person back home, back in the gym, the people back home cheering, the coaches on this staff, just everyone involved. It’s their championship too.”
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The No. 5 seeded Yellow Jackets were in control for the majority of the round over the No. 2 Gators, leading three out of four individual matchups. Florida was the first on the scoreboard when Yuxin Lin defeated Cristo Lamprecht on the 15th hole, putting the Gators up 1-0.
Momentum Shifter
Georgia Tech had a chance to tie the match at one apiece when Bartley Forrester stood over a three-foot putt on hole No. 17. Though, Forrester’s putt lipped out of the hole, keeping Matt Kress’s hopes alive. This mistake proved costly, as Kress hit a wonderful drive and stuck his second shot at 18 for a two-foot birdie putt, tying the match.
Although Forrester would win the match after 20 holes, the momentum shifted in favor of the Gators and propelled the team to win the National Title.
A Recap of Team Milestones
For the first time in program history, Florida won the SEC Championship, NCAA Championship and NCAA Individual Title in the same year. This marks the fourth time in program history the Gators won both SEC and NCAA Championships in the same season. This victory earned the Gators their sixth team win on the season, the most since the team won seven in the 2003-04 campaign.
