Florida Gators
Jerry Pate National
Florida Men’s Golf Earns Runner-Up Honors, Places Four in Top 10 at Jerry Pate National
Tuesday, October 6, 2015 | Men's Golf
The No. 23 University of Florida men's golf team shot the lowest third-round score at the Jerry Pate National on Tuesday to earn runner-up honors in the talented field. All five Gators finished in the top 20, with four individuals placing in the top 10.
Florida carded a 9-under 271 in Round 3, two strokes better than any other squad, to wrap up the event at -14 (826) and notch its highest finish of the season so far. This marks the Gators' fifth runner-up performance in 12 appearances at the Jerry Pate National.
UF edged No. 3 Auburn by one stroke and No. 1 Florida State by seven to secure second place. No. 16 Alabama, the host school, posted a 19-under 821 to win the tournament by five strokes.
Freshman Sam Horsfield closed the tournament with an even-par 70 to tie for fourth with a 54-hole total of -5 (205). He was joined in the top 10 by sophomore Alejandro Tosti and freshmen Jorge Garcia and Kyler Tate. The trio tied for sixth place with scores of 2-under 208.
Tosti sky-rocketed 12 places up on the leaderboard after contributing a third-round score of 4-under 66 and collecting his first eagle of the season on the par-4 15th hole. Garcia and Tate each recorded rounds of 1-under 69 to advance three spots into the tie for sixth.
Junior Ryan Orr shot a 3-under 67 in Round 3 on his way to tying for 16th place with a total of + 1 (211).
Now more than halfway through the fall season, the Gators will be back in action Oct. 18-20, when they travel to Windermere, Fla., for the Tavistock Collegiate at the Isleworth Country Club.
Head Coach JC Deacon:
On Tuesday's round:
“Today was our best day of the year, for sure. We had all five guys on the same page – playing hard, staying patient and staying focused – and that was what enabled us to finish the round off. There was a lot of pressure and a lot of hard holes down the stretch, and these guys all kept their emotions in check and played well to finish second in a very strong field.”
On takeaways from the tournament:
“I think what all the guys have taken away is how important our attitude and our determination are. If we can have a great attitude and we can be determined, instead of deflated, we've got a chance to be a special team. That's the key for us. Our talent is elite, but our attitudes and our determination need to meet that. We showed a little bit of that this week, especially over the last two rounds, and we beat some of the best teams in the country.”
The Orange and Blue Crew: Final Florida Scores
T4. Sam Horsfield -5 (205)
T6. Jorge Garcia -2 (208)
T6. Kyler Tate -2 (208)
T6. Alejandro Tosti -2 (208)
T16. Ryan Orr +1 (211)
Tournament Field Results: Final Team Standings
1. Alabama -19 (821)
2. FLORIDA -14 (826)
3. Auburn -13 (827)
4. Florida State -7 (833)
5. Arkansas +6 (846)
6. UAB +8 (848)
7. UNLV +13 (853)
8. Baylor +19 (859)
9. UTSA +26 (866)
10. Kennesaw State +28 (868)
11. Charlotte +32 (872)
12. Mississippi State +34 (874)
For full results, click here.
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