Sunday, February 21
Gainesville, FL
All Day
Florida Gators
vs
SunTrust Gator Invitational
Sam Horsfield finished second at the Gator Invitational.
Horsfield Earns Runner-Up Honors at Gator Invite
Sunday, February 21, 2016 | Men's Golf
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - University of Florida freshman golfer Sam Horsfield wrapped up the SunTrust Gator Invitational with a season-best tournament score of 9-under 201 on Sunday to finish as the runner-up. In the team contest, Florida placed third with a 54-hole score of -13 (827).
Horsfield carded an even-par 70 on Sunday to pick up his fifth top-five finish of the year. Playing as an individual, freshman Kyler Tate fired a 3-under 67 to place seventh with a total of 6-under 204. The round and tournament scores were Tate's best of the season.
Redshirt-junior A.J. Crouch used a strong back nine to fuel his 12th-place finish. Making the turn at 2-over par, he shot 4-under in the final nine holes, highlighted by back-to-back birdies on holes 15-16 and an eagle on 17. He wrapped up the tournament at -3 (207).
Freshman Gordon Neale, playing as an individual, and freshman Jorge Garcia posted 1-under 69s in the final round to tie for 19th with even-par 210s.
South Florida saved its best round for last, recording a 13-under 267 on Sunday to win its second-straight SunTrust Gator Invitational. The Bulls' total tournament score of -22 (818) marked the third-best team score in the tournament's 39-year history. USF junior Rigel Fernandes won the individual title with a 13-under 197.
Head Coach JC Deacon:
On the Gators' performance in Round 3:
"There's a little bit of disappointment. I think all of us had high expectations for this week and wanted to win, but we got outplayed by a great South Florida team, and hats off to them for playing some outstanding golf.Our guys did everything they could. We just came out a little bit flat this morning, and made a great run at it coming down the stretch, but it just wasn't enough, so we have to get back to work."
On his message to the team when shots weren't falling:
"When it's not going your way and you're frustrated, you have to hang in there and show some toughness. And we really did do that today. We made a great run down the stretch. A.J. (Crouch) had a birdie-birdie-eagle run. Jorge (Garcia) birdied 15 and 17. We had some really great things happen, but it just wasn't enough to close that gap. The spread was too big. We gave up too much on the front nine."
On other guys stepping up when Sam Horsfield wasn't playing well:
"We have a great team.Kyler Tate finished seventh individually, not even counting for the team score, so that shows you what kind of depth we have. I think this is just the beginning for the team. I'm actually really glad, to be honest, when I look at the big picture where we finished. It will give everyone a little kick in the butt and say, 'Look, we're good, but we have to play great if we want to beat these teams,' because there are so many good teams in the country. If we don't bring our best, we're going to get beaten, and that's what happened this weekend."
Freshman Sam Horsfield:
On the final round:
"I think I got off to a bad start, like the rest of the team. Even though I was 1-under after three, I didn't get quite the shots I was looking for. I only hit two greens out of the first seven, and my goal was to hit a lot of greens and give myself a lot of looks. The first seven holes I didn't do that. I had a good shot on eight, and after that, I got it back together. I think, like coach said, our start hurt us a little bit."
On playing in his first Gator Invitational:
"It was a pretty cool experience, especially today with a few more people out here watching. I got to play with two of my friends, Rigel (Fernandes) and David (Wicks), today, which was a good experience. Congratulations to Rigel, he played really well. It was just a great experience having everyone out here, having all the Gators playing, and all the people that are involved in this program being here to support us."
South Florida Head Coach Steve Bradley:
On his team's performance:
"I think we were a little uncertain going into this event. I really challenged them to concentrate on their own game as much as they possibly could. They couldn't worry about how the other teams or players were playing. They got off to a good start, and I think they just kept going with confidence and played solid from start to finish. It was pretty special to see."
South Florida Junior Rigel Fernandes
On his play throughout the tournament:
"In Round 1, I played pretty good. I just made some silly errors and stuff that you can't do around this course because it will bite you quickly if you're not smart.The next two rounds, I just wanted to commit to every golf shot and make smart decisions, and I did that. I played well, executed well, and had a great mindset.So I'm very happy about that."
The Orange and Blue Crew: Final Florida Scores
2. Sam Horsfield -9 (201)
7. Kyler Tate* -6 (204)
12. A.J. Crouch -3 (207)
T19. Jorge Garcia E (210)
T19. Gordon Neale* E (210)
T30. Ryan Orr 3 (213)
36. Ryan Celano* 4 (214)
T46. Conor Richardson* 9 (219)
T53. Richard Donegan* 10 (220)
T55. Blake Dyer* 11 (221)
DQ Alejandro Tosti
*Denotes competing as an individual
Tournament Field Results: Final Team Standings
1. South Florida -22 (818)
2. Vanderbilt -14 (826)
3. FLORIDA -13 (827)
4. Florida State -9 (831)
5. Jacksonville -4 (836)
6. Liberty 7 (847)
7. North Florida 14 (854)
8. College of Charleston 16 (856)
9. Missouri 18 (858)
T10. UCF 19 (859)
T10. Georgia Southern 19 (859)
12. UAB 23 (863)
13. UMKC 39 (879)
14. Winthrop 54 (894)
For full results, click here .
Follow the Gators:
Official Website: FloridaGators.com
Facebook: Florida Gators Men's Golf
Twitter: @GatorsGolf
Instagram: @GatorsMGolf
Horsfield carded an even-par 70 on Sunday to pick up his fifth top-five finish of the year. Playing as an individual, freshman Kyler Tate fired a 3-under 67 to place seventh with a total of 6-under 204. The round and tournament scores were Tate's best of the season.
Redshirt-junior A.J. Crouch used a strong back nine to fuel his 12th-place finish. Making the turn at 2-over par, he shot 4-under in the final nine holes, highlighted by back-to-back birdies on holes 15-16 and an eagle on 17. He wrapped up the tournament at -3 (207).
Freshman Gordon Neale, playing as an individual, and freshman Jorge Garcia posted 1-under 69s in the final round to tie for 19th with even-par 210s.
South Florida saved its best round for last, recording a 13-under 267 on Sunday to win its second-straight SunTrust Gator Invitational. The Bulls' total tournament score of -22 (818) marked the third-best team score in the tournament's 39-year history. USF junior Rigel Fernandes won the individual title with a 13-under 197.
Head Coach JC Deacon:
On the Gators' performance in Round 3:
"There's a little bit of disappointment. I think all of us had high expectations for this week and wanted to win, but we got outplayed by a great South Florida team, and hats off to them for playing some outstanding golf.Our guys did everything they could. We just came out a little bit flat this morning, and made a great run at it coming down the stretch, but it just wasn't enough, so we have to get back to work."
On his message to the team when shots weren't falling:
"When it's not going your way and you're frustrated, you have to hang in there and show some toughness. And we really did do that today. We made a great run down the stretch. A.J. (Crouch) had a birdie-birdie-eagle run. Jorge (Garcia) birdied 15 and 17. We had some really great things happen, but it just wasn't enough to close that gap. The spread was too big. We gave up too much on the front nine."
On other guys stepping up when Sam Horsfield wasn't playing well:
"We have a great team.Kyler Tate finished seventh individually, not even counting for the team score, so that shows you what kind of depth we have. I think this is just the beginning for the team. I'm actually really glad, to be honest, when I look at the big picture where we finished. It will give everyone a little kick in the butt and say, 'Look, we're good, but we have to play great if we want to beat these teams,' because there are so many good teams in the country. If we don't bring our best, we're going to get beaten, and that's what happened this weekend."
Freshman Sam Horsfield:
On the final round:
"I think I got off to a bad start, like the rest of the team. Even though I was 1-under after three, I didn't get quite the shots I was looking for. I only hit two greens out of the first seven, and my goal was to hit a lot of greens and give myself a lot of looks. The first seven holes I didn't do that. I had a good shot on eight, and after that, I got it back together. I think, like coach said, our start hurt us a little bit."
On playing in his first Gator Invitational:
"It was a pretty cool experience, especially today with a few more people out here watching. I got to play with two of my friends, Rigel (Fernandes) and David (Wicks), today, which was a good experience. Congratulations to Rigel, he played really well. It was just a great experience having everyone out here, having all the Gators playing, and all the people that are involved in this program being here to support us."
South Florida Head Coach Steve Bradley:
On his team's performance:
"I think we were a little uncertain going into this event. I really challenged them to concentrate on their own game as much as they possibly could. They couldn't worry about how the other teams or players were playing. They got off to a good start, and I think they just kept going with confidence and played solid from start to finish. It was pretty special to see."
South Florida Junior Rigel Fernandes
On his play throughout the tournament:
"In Round 1, I played pretty good. I just made some silly errors and stuff that you can't do around this course because it will bite you quickly if you're not smart.The next two rounds, I just wanted to commit to every golf shot and make smart decisions, and I did that. I played well, executed well, and had a great mindset.So I'm very happy about that."
The Orange and Blue Crew: Final Florida Scores
2. Sam Horsfield -9 (201)
7. Kyler Tate* -6 (204)
12. A.J. Crouch -3 (207)
T19. Jorge Garcia E (210)
T19. Gordon Neale* E (210)
T30. Ryan Orr 3 (213)
36. Ryan Celano* 4 (214)
T46. Conor Richardson* 9 (219)
T53. Richard Donegan* 10 (220)
T55. Blake Dyer* 11 (221)
DQ Alejandro Tosti
*Denotes competing as an individual
Tournament Field Results: Final Team Standings
1. South Florida -22 (818)
2. Vanderbilt -14 (826)
3. FLORIDA -13 (827)
4. Florida State -9 (831)
5. Jacksonville -4 (836)
6. Liberty 7 (847)
7. North Florida 14 (854)
8. College of Charleston 16 (856)
9. Missouri 18 (858)
T10. UCF 19 (859)
T10. Georgia Southern 19 (859)
12. UAB 23 (863)
13. UMKC 39 (879)
14. Winthrop 54 (894)
For full results, click here .
Follow the Gators:
Official Website: FloridaGators.com
Facebook: Florida Gators Men's Golf
Twitter: @GatorsGolf
Instagram: @GatorsMGolf
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