Record Breaking Performance, Gators set for SEC Quarterfinals vs. Oklahoma

Friday, April 24

St. Simons Island, Ga. / Sea Island Golf Club: Seaside Course

9:15 a.m. (18 holes)

Florida Gators

SEC Championship

Luke Poulter 'Gator Chomps' in round three of the 2026 SEC Championship.

Record Breaking Performance, Gators set for SEC Quarterfinals vs. Oklahoma

Friday, April 24, 2026 | Men's Golf

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Florida set a new program record in tournament score (807) and its lowest round (267, -13) all-time at the SEC Championship.

By: Matthew Hutchison

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Behind a record-breaking performance in stroke play, the Florida men's golf team earned a spot into the SEC Championship match play for the fifth straight season after placing second at 33-under in the 54-hole stroke play portion on Friday. The Gators earn the No. 2 -seed and face No. 7 Oklahoma tomorrow at 8:20 a.m.

A final round record at the conference championship and low round of the day at 13-under produced a three-round total of 807 (-33) that also set a new program best by score and par at the conference tournament, shattering the previous best of 828 & -16 last season. In the opening round of this year, Florida then tied the round record at SECs by score and par with a 269 (-11). Today's under par round kept the streak of eight straight team rounds and the 19th in 29 total rounds this season.

Additionally, the 807 mark is the program's lowest all-time in any tournament, beating the previous by three shots that was set at the 2001 Gator Invitational. The 33-under is now the fifth lowest by par, the all-time record is 42-under at the 2018 NCAA Regional.

Florida advances to match play in the conference tournament for the fifth straight season, the second longest active streak only behind Texas A&M who has made it every (9) single year. The Gators reach the second leg of the SEC Championship for the seventh time, tied for second-most in the conference with Vanderbilt. UF owns a 10-4 record in SEC Championship match play and sits in second in overall wins, only tailing Vanderbilt (13). In the last four years, the Gators are 8-2 and in quarterfinals action, the Orange and Blue are 5-1 while 3-2 in the semifinals – dropping its last final-four match up in 2018 vs. Alabama.

Tomorrow's first round of the Gators and Sooners will serve as a rematch as UF defeated the conference newcomer 3-2 last year. The winner will face either No. 3 Texas or No. 6 Mississippi State in the semifinals later that afternoon at 2 p.m. Florida faced the Longhorns in the 2025 NCAA National Championship Quarterfinals, where the Gators had a comeback 3-2 victory. Mississippi State and Florida have never faced off in SECs, only at the 2022 SEC Fall Preview that the Gators won 3-2. Semifinal coverage is scheduled for 3 p.m. on SECN+ as Sunday's championship finals is scheduled for 8 a.m. live on SEC Network.

Outside of Parker Sands, who is making his conference tournament debut, the Gator lineup boosts experience in conference championship match play, totaling 17 total matches with Matthew Kress playing a team-high seven matches. Between the four experienced golfers, they are a combined 12-5 with both Luke Poulter and Zack Swanwick 3-0.

In his third-career conference tournament, Jack Turner secured the best finish by a Gator in stroke play with a T7 (-8) performance for the second time as he finished T2 his freshman season in 2024. The junior shot a final round of 70 (E) for his eighth par or better round in nine total at Sea Island. Across his 162 holes at SECs, Turner is 18-under. He has placed T23 or better in all postseason tournaments expect in last year's NCAA National Championship in T32.

When Florida teed off the final 18-holes of stroke play they were eight shots inside the match play cut line and finished 21-strokes clear as there was a three-way playoff between Arkansas, Georgia and South Carolina for the final match play spot. The Gamecocks won the playoff by two strokes.

The Gators went low on the front nine again in their counting scores, going 7-under and only carding three total bogeys which two came on the first and one on the second holes. After those bogeys, Florida played bogey-free golf for 48 consecutive holes. The second nine featured 10 birdies, 23 pars and only two double bogeys.

Matthew Kress was leadoff man today and set the tone. Playing in his 12th career round at the conference tournament, he shot his career-low at the SEC Championship with a 66 (-4) for his best finish all-time at the tournament in T17 at 5-under.

Sophomore Zack Swanwick put Florida over the 30-under mark with his back-to-back birdies on 10-and-11 and Poulter mirrored Swanwick on the back nine with birdies on the first two holes to square it at 32-under with No. 1 Auburn. The duo each shot final rounds of 66 (-4) and tied for 13th at 6-under, as the finish, round and tournament score were all bests in their second conference tournament outing. Since Swanwick's first career round at SECs of 71 (+1), the sophomore has gone 68-68-69-69-66.

This year's match play cut score of 12-under is the lowest all-time, beating the previous record of 6-under set last year. The previous years are: -2 (2024), +1 (2023), +4 (2022), +16 (2019, 2021), +11 (2018) and +12 (2017).

SEC Championship Quarterfinals - No. 2 Florida vs. No. 7 Oklahoma
8:20 a.m. - Zack Swanwick vs. Jase Summy
8:30 a.m. - Jack Turner vs. Coltrane Mittag
8:40 a.m. - Parker Sands vs. Clark Van Gaalen
8:50 a.m. - Matthew Kress vs. PJ Maybank III
9 a.m. - Luke Poulter vs. Ryder Cowan

SEC Championship Match Play Bracket
No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 8 South Carolina
No. 2 Florida vs. No. 7 Oklahoma
No. 3 Texas vs. No. 6 Mississippi State
No. 4 Ole Miss vs. No. 5 Texas A&M

Florida Player Scoreboard
T7. Jack Turner – 64-68-70 = 202 (-8)
T13. Luke Poulter – 71-67-66 = 204 (-6)
T13. Zack Swanwick – 69-69-66 – 204 (-6)
T17. Matthew Kress - 67-72-66 = 205 (-5)
T17. Parker Sands – 69-67-69 = 205 (-5)

Team Leaderboard
1. Auburn (-39)
2. Florida (-32)
3. Texas (-30)
4. Ole Miss (-20)
5. Texas A&M (-16)
6. Mississippi State (-14)
7. Oklahoma (-13)
T8. South Carolina (-12)^
T8. Arkansas (-12)
T8. Georgia (-12)
-- Match Play Cut---
11. Alabama (-6)
12. LSU (-5)
13. Tennessee (-4)
14. Vanderbilt (+3)
15. Missouri (+9)
16. Kentucky (+28)
^Won in a playoff

Post Round Quotes – Head Coach J.C. Deacon
On the record setting performance…
"I am so incredibly happy. I really can't even think of what the word is, satisfied, excited for the guys, because you work all year for this tournament. It is just a testament to the sacrifice of our guys and the effort they put in. I'm proud of the development of our players because they're getting better.

"This is one of the few really big days of the year where there's, there's some pressure out there to play well and for us to beat all the teams in this conference today is big. And it what a team effort this week, contributions from everyone, but that was the appetizer, and now it's the main course with match play."

On getting ready for tomorrow's match play…
"We will make sure the plans are ready for the golf course. I feel good this year because we have a lot of match play experience with the four guys that have played. It's going to be a familiar spot, but you have to play great golf and not give holes away. We have to continue to do what we've been building on all year."

On advice for a potential long day of two rounds of match play…
"It goes back to August with Markus Fürst in the weight room. We've been preparing for eight, nine months for tomorrow. We know how long of day its going to be so you have to stay in the moment and enjoy it. I also think the biggest thing is to embrace this experience since so hard to be in match play in this conference."