Florida Gators
Wolf Run Intercollegiate
Florida Men's Golf Collects Second-Place Finish at Wolf Run Intercollegiate
Sunday, September 21, 2014 | Men's Golf
Conditions at the Wolf Run Golf Club were harsh on Sunday, but the University of Florida men's golf team was unfazed, powering through to a runner-up finish. Wind gusts of about 25 miles per hour couldn't stop the Gators and head coach JC Deacon from earning second-place honors and a 10-stroke advantage over third-place finisher Houston at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate.
No. 2 Illinois won the 15-team contest, shooting a 7-over 859, while Brian Campbell from the Fighting Illini claimed the individual title at 4-under (209).The Orange and Blue carded a 37-over 889, led by freshman Ryan Celano. In his college debut, Celano shot even (71) in the third round to complete the tournament tied for sixth, recording a 6-over 219.
Senior J.D. Tomlinson also logged a top-10 finish for the Gators, highlighted by a 1-under 70 in Round 2.
Senior Eric Banks and sophomore Ryan Orr completed the tournament in the top 20, finishing tied for 13th and tied for 19th, respectively.
Head Coach JC Deacon:
On freshman Ryan Celano's performance:
“I'm really proud of Ryan Celano. He finished in sixth place individually. It was a wonderful start for his college career, and he showed us what he can do and how good he can be.”
“He's just a great player. He's got all the shots, he's got the power, he's got the finesse and he really wants to be great. He's willing to put in the extra effort. He listens, he's very coachable, and I'm just so excited to work with him. I think he has a chance to be an All-American pretty soon, if not this year. I don't want to put that kind of pressure on him, but that's where I think his capability is.”
On the team's improvement from its first tournament:
“I would say it's a step in the right direction. It's definitely not even close to where I want to be, and where I think we should be or can be, but we did beat some people and we hung in there. Everyone contributed at one point in the tournament, but we've got a long way to go.”
On the course conditions:
“Today it was really, really difficult. The course was firm. The pin placements were really tough and the wind was up. It was 20 mph when we started, and I would say the gusts were close to 25 or 30 mph. It was really windy and it was difficult.”
The Orange and Blue Crew:
| Wolf Run Intercollegiate – Final Florida Player Results | |||
| Place | Player | Score | Rounds 1-2-3 |
| T6 | +6 (219) | 75-73-71 | |
| 10 | +8 (221) | 75-70-76 | |
| T13 | +10 (223) | 75-74-74 | |
| T19 | +14 (227) | 71-76-80 | |
| T62 | +24 (237) | 74-76-87 | |
| T62 | +24 (237) | 80-80-77 | |
*denotes playing as an individual
Tournament Field Results:
| Wolf Run Intercollegiate – Final Team Scores | ||
| Place | Team | Score |
| 1 | Illinois | +7 (859) |
| 2 | FLORIDA | +37 (889) |
| 3 | Houston | +47 (899) |
| 4 | Chattanooga | +53 (905) |
| T5 | William & Mary | +54 (906) |
| T5 | Penn State | +54 (906) |
| 7 | Miami (OH) | +57 (909) |
| 8 | South Alabama | +58 (910) |
| 9 | Kentucky | +59 (911) |
| 10 | Eastern Michigan | +68 (920) |
| 11 | Indiana | +73 (925) |
| 12 | IUPI | +75 (927) |
| 13 | Akron | +79 (931) |
| 14 | Ball State | +87 (939) |
| 15 | Northern Illinois | +97 (949) |
| Wolf Run Intercollegiate – Final Individual Top 10 | ||
| Place | Player (School) | Score |
| 1 | Brian Campbell (Illinois) | -4 (70-69-60-209) |
| 2 | Charlie Danielson (Illinois) | -1 (71-67-74-212) |
| 3 | Brett White (Eastern Michigan) | +4 (75-71-71-217) |
| T4 | Thomas Detry (Illinois) | +5 (71-74-73-218) |
| T4 | David Snyder (Kentucky) | +5 (71-74-73-218) |
| T6 | Kyle Pilgrim (Houston) | +6(71-73-75-219) |
| T6 | Ryan Celano (FLORIDA) | +6 (75-73-71-219) |
| T8 | Nick Hardy (Illinois) | +7 (73-77-70-220) |
| T8 | Alex Hicks (William & Mary) | +7 (72-73-75-220) |
| 10 | J.D. Tomlinson (FLORIDA) | +8 (75-70-76-221) |
Up Next for the Gators: Florida will stay in the Sunshine State for its third fall tournament, traveling to Orlando to compete in the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational Oct. 19-21. Hosted by UCF, the event will be played at the Lake Nona Golf and Country Club.
For complete coverage of the Gators' men's golf program, visit GatorZone.com, follow @GatorZoneGolf on Twitter and 'like' the University of Florida Men's Golf page on Facebook.
