Gators Climb in First Spring Rankings, only School with Both Top-7 teams
Thursday, January 29, 2026 | Men's Golf, Women's Golf
Florida is the only program with both its men’s (#5) and women’s (#6) teams to be ranked top-7.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Both Gator Golf programs climbed the in first spring NCAA Rankings with the men debuting at No. 5 and women at No. 6, to mark Florida as the only school with both golf teams ranked inside the top-7.
The women recently moved up two spots behind their spring opening victory at the Sea Best Intercollegiate this week. Florida's victory marked the third straight tournament win this season and a successful title defense at the event. The team shot a tournament score of 836 (-28) for the second-lowest 54-hole score in program history – one shot from the program record – in addition to Paula Francisco tying the program individual 54-hole record with a 202 (-14) and finishing runner-up.
The team title is the third straight victory of the season after closing the fall with back-to-back wins at the OU Intercollegiate and The Ally (third straight victory at the event). The victory also marked three straight seasons of three consecutive tournament victories.
It is also the 12th win and 22nd top-3 outing since the 2022-23 season. The tournament title was also the 39th all-time under head coach Emily Glaser; 40th total as she was an assistant coach for a season in 2011-12. It is the third straight season with three-plus single-season wins and seventh time overall under Glaser. The three consecutive seasons of three-plus single-season tournament victories is the third occurrence in program history; 1984-87 and 1993-96.
On the men's side, the Gators also closed the fall season on a strong note. Winning back-to-back tournaments at the Williams Cup and East Lake Cup, adding to a runner-up outing and T3 performance in the weeks prior.
A 12-shot victory and finish of 15-under highlighted the Williams Cup victory over a group of ranked teams: No. 5 Texas (-3), No. 13 North Carolina (+9), No. 22 Notre Dame (+12), No. 21 Oklahoma (+16), No. 9 Utah (+16) and No. 16 Auburn (+20).
At the East Lake Cup, Florida defeated No. 1 Virginia (Finals) and No. 9 Ole Miss (Semifinals) for the program's first-ever championship at the prestigious event that features last year's final-four teams. Senior Parker Bell delivered the winning point with a clutch birdie on the 18th hole over UVA's Ben James, ranked No. 1 in PGA TOUR University and the No. 2 ranked amateur. The tournament title is the 34th all-time under head coach J.C. Deacon and eighth season of multiple wins, including the last six consecutive.
It is a quick turnaround for the Gators with a trip to Palos Verdes, Calif., for the Therese Hession Regional Challenge from Feb. 1-3 with a field that consist of nine top-25 teams.
The Florida men begin the spring season at the Sea Best Invitational at Atlantic Beach Country Club, an event Florida has won seven times and its last three straight outings. Following that, UF hosts the Gators Invitational from Feb. 14-15 at Mark Bostick Golf Course as the field will feature the last two National Champions in Oklahoma State and Auburn.
Players Mentioned
