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The Florida men’s golf team’s quest for back-to-back NCAA championships lives on for at least another day.
The Gators used a red-hot start Sunday to finish in eighth place after Round 3 of the national championships at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, California, with an overall team total of 20-over-par 884 — making the cut and securing their spot in the final round of stroke play. The top 15 teams advanced to Monday’s final round, led by Illinois (-2), Virginia (+4) and Vanderbilt (+9).
In order to qualify for match play, which begins Tuesday, UF now must finish in the top eight after Monday’s round.
Junior Ian Gilligan and sophomore Matthew Kress both shot 1-under 71 in Sunday’s third round, while freshman Jack Turner led the way for the Gators over the past three days at 2-over overall, good for T18 in the individual competition. Turner ended Sunday with an even-par 72 .
“Getting red numbers from Kress and Gilligan today was so huge,” Florida head coach J.C. Deacon said. “They’ve been pillars in our lineup all year and we needed them to produce. Everyone feels good about their game. I’m excited to watch them perform on this stage tomorrow.”
After recording an up-and-down opening 36 holes and starting the day hovering near the cut line in 12th place, Florida got off to a fiery start Sunday morning when it needed it most. Gilligan and Kress each birdied three of their first four holes, while Turner also birdied twice. Senior John DuBois added two more birdies on No. 6 and 8. As a team, the Gators recorded 12 birdies on the front nine, making the turn at 8-under for the round and vaulting them into the top six.
Florida gave back some ground as conditions got tougher on the back nine, but birdies by Gilligan and DuBois on the final hole lifted the Gators back to 1-under for the day. Only four of the 30 teams shot better Sunday than Florida’s aggregate total of 287.
“The first two rounds we did not commit to being the patient and disciplined team we need to be,” Deacon said. “That changed today and we got rewarded. Shooting under par in those conditions is exceptional.”
Bouncing Back
Each day produced a different outcome, as the Gators at one point found themselves as low as 23rd place, eight spots under the top-15 cutoff for advancement.
At the start of Friday’s opening round, the young Gators appeared to show some nerves on the national stage. Turner, a freshman standout from Orlando, started off with bogey-double-bogey on his first three holes, quickly falling to 4-over. Sophomore Parker Bell, who qualified for the U.S. Open earlier this week in Dallas, also got off to a slow start with bogeys on three of his first four holes. Turner and Bell were both critical factors in the helping the Gators earn a spot at the national championships with their performances in regionals.
But the Gators were picked up Friday by DuBois, who struggled in regional play. DuBois shot a bogey-free 3-under 69, landing third on the individual leaderboard. As a team Florida ended with 7-over 295 in eighth place.
Rolling into Saturday, the Gators again struggled out of the gate, with two bogeys as a team on No. 1. Gilligan then birdied three consecutive holes to get Florida going. UF made the turn at 3-over, but then struggled mightily on the back. Florida recorded four double bogeys on the back — including back-to-back 6s on par 4s by DuBois — and the Gators scuffled to a 10-over as a team to close the round, finishing 14-over on the day. Fortunately for the Gators, many other teams struggled at Omni La Costa, giving the Gators plenty of life entering the final round.
And, much like they did in their national championship run a year ago, the Gators able to respond as a team when it mattered.
Critical 18 Holes Ahead
The Gators will tee off tomorrow at 2:51 p.m. ET in the final 18-hole round of stroke play battling for a spot in the top eight and the chance to earn the program’s sixth national title — and second in a row — as the tournament shifts to a match-play bracket Tuesday. Final-round coverage will air on Golf Channel beginning at 6 p.m. ET.
In his first national championship appearance, Bell has struggled thus far with rounds of 75-76-77. Gilligan also has been up and down, finishing with opening rounds of 78 and 75 before Sunday’s 71. Turner, meanwhile, has posted consistent rounds of 73-73-72.
“I’m very proud of the Gators today,” Deacon said. “We had to have a great round and we got it. We’re right back in this thing. Opportunities like tomorrow is exactly why we work so hard all year long.”
