Florida Gators
Puerto Rico Classic
No. 1 Men's Golf Wins Fifth Tournament of Season
Wednesday, February 25, 2004 | Men's Golf
Three of No. 1 ranked Florida's players whose scores counted in the final round birdied the last hole of the day as the Gators won their fifth tournament in eight tries in the 2003-04 season at the Puerto Rico Classic Tuesday afternoon at the Western Rio Mar Country Club.
Junior Duke Butler IV (Ponte Vedra, Fla.), sophomore Matt Every (Daytona Beach, Fla.) and freshman Jessie Mudd (Louisville, Ky.) each birdied their final hole, while Clemson couldn't muster the same as the Gators beat the Tigers by one stroke with a final round 288 (+1) to finish the tournament at 855 (-9).
"It was an interesting day and a wild ride," Florida coach Buddy Alexander said. "But it was another win for us. It was another brick in the wall. These guys are doing a nice job."
With three regular season tournaments left to play, the Gators have now posted five wins this season – the most for a Florida team since the 1995-96 squad captured six titles. The Gators have also finished in the top five in all eight tournaments this season, while the win at the Puerto Rico Classic was the sixth in nine tries for Florida.
Sophomore Brett Stegmaier (Madison, Conn.) and Every led the Gators by finishing at 212 (-4) as both fired rounds of 69 (-3) Tuesday at the par 72, 6,931-yard course to tie for fifth. The score was a season best for Stegmaier and his first top-five finish of the season, while Every posted his third top-five finish.
Senior Camilo Villegas (Medellin, Colombia) carded a final round 76 (+4) to end the tournament at 217 (+1) and in a tie for 15th – his 36th career top-20 finish in 47 tournaments.
Butler IV shot a 75 (+3) Tuesday to end up at 221 (+5) and tied for 36th, while Mudd rounded up the Gators after shooting a 76 (+4) in the final round to finish at 222 (+6) and tied for 41st. For Mudd, it was the first tournament all season that he failed to finish in the top 20.
Florida returns to action when the Gators travel to Las Vegas for the Toyota Men's Intercollegiate March 12-14.
TEAM STANDINGS
| Place | Team | 1st Round | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | Total | Over/Under Par |
| 1. | Florida | 289 | 277 | 289 | 855 | -9 |
| 2. | Clemson | 281 | 289 | 286 | 856 | -8 |
| 3. | Oklahoma | 283 | 280 | 295 | 858 | -6 |
| 4. | Georgia | 289 | 292 | 283 | 865 | +1 |
| 5. | Oklahoma State | 292 | 298 | 281 | 871 | +7 |
| 6. | North Carolina State | 293 | 283 | 300 | 876 | +13 |
| 7. | Virginia | 292 | 294 | 293 | 879 | +15 |
| T8. | Georgia Tech | 296 | 299 | 285 | 880 | +16 |
| T8. | Minnesota | 288 | 296 | 296 | 880 | +16 |
| 10. | Texas | 288 | 299 | 298 | 885 | +21 |
| T11. | East Tennessee State | 304 | 289 | 293 | 886 | +22 |
| T11. | Virginia Tech | 295 | 292 | 299 | 886 | +22 |
| 13. | Purdue | 300 | 298 | 292 | 890 | +26 |
| 14. | Kent State | 293 | 297 | 302 | 892 | +28 |
| 15. | Northwestern | 306 | 292 | 303 | 901 | +37 |
| 16. | Duke | 300 | 294 | 311 | 905 | +41 |
| 17. | Illinois | 306 | 313 | 301 | 920 | +46 |
| 18. | Michigan | 319 | 302 | 301 | 922 | +48 |
FLORIDA RESULTS
| Place | Player | 1st Round | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | Total | Over/Under Par |
| T5. | Matt Every | 73 | 70 | 69 | 212 | -4 |
| T5. | Brett Stegmaier | 72 | 71 | 69 | 212 | -4 |
| T15. | Camilo Villegas | 74 | 67 | 76 | 217 | +1 |
| T36. | Duke Butler IV | 70 | 76 | 75 | 221 | +5 |
| T41. | Jessie Mudd | 77 | 69 | 76 | 222 | +6 |
