Jack Turner walks off the green during the Semifinals of the 2026 SEC Championship.
Gators earn No. 1 seed at Columbus Regional
Wednesday, May 6, 2026 | Men's Golf
The top seed is the fifth all-time for Florida and first since 2017 as the 54-hole event is scheduled May 18-20.
INDIANAPOLIS - The No. 2 ranked Florida men's golf team was selected as the No. 1 seed for the Columbus Regional, the NCAA announced Wednesday in conjunction with Golf Channel. The Gators earn a top seed for fifth time and first since 2017.
Both golf programs earned No. 1 seeds for regionals for the second time in program history with the first-ever being in 2017. Florida is one of three schools (Arkansas & Texas) to have both have a top seed this year.
A three-day, 54-hole event, starts on Monday, May 18 at OSU Golf Club (Scarlet Course) in Columbus, Ohio hosted by Ohio State University. At the conclusion of play, the top five teams as well as the low individual finisher not on an advancing team will advance to the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. from May 29-June 3. The Columbus Regional will feature a field of 13 teams.
This marks the sixth straight year the Gators have been a top-3 seed and in regionals and the eighth time under head coach J.C. Deacon. In 11 total regional appearances with Deacon at the helm, Florida has been a top-3 seed nine times and a top-2 seed six times. The Gators have advanced to the final postseason event five consecutive seasons and eight of the 10 times under Deacon.
This is the second time Florida has played in the Columbus Regional with the first being in 2008 when the Gators were a 4-seed and finished T4 to advance.
The Gators have qualified for 36 of the 37 all-time men's golf regionals and every year under Deacon as Florida won the inaugural East Regional (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) in 1989. UF has claimed a total of seven team titles (1989, 1992, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2018, 2025) and six individual titles - Brain Gay (1993), Brad Lehmann (1994), Camilo Villegas (2001), Billy Horschel (2006 & 2007) and Andy Zhang (2018)
A total of 81 teams and 45 individuals (not on a competing team) will play across six regional sites - Athens, Ga., Bermuda Run, N.C., Bryan, Texas, Columbus, Ohio, Corvallis, Ore. and Marana, Ariz. Three regional sites will have 13 teams and 10 individuals and three will have 14 teams and five individuals.
Last year, Florida won the Bremerton Regional in Washington at 28-under while Matthew Kress placed runner-up at 11-under. The 28-under par was the third-lowest in regional play last year - Auburn 32-under and Florida State 29-under, who both played on their home course.
Florida started the postseason with a record setting performance and a runner-up finish at the SEC Championship. 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 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, Florida then tied the round record at SECs by score and par with a 269 (-11).
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.
The Gators reached the match play finals for the third time in four years, which ranks second all-time in the conference during a four-year stretch, only Vanderbilt has accomplished the feat with reaching the finals four straight years. UF reached the final round after knocking off Oklahoma (quarterfinals) and Texas (semifinals). The loss in the finals to Ole Miss was the first match play lost this season.
Florida has captured five team titles for the fourth straight season and the first time in program history. UF won four straight tournaments, tied for the third-longest streak in program history. The Gators closed the fall season 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. In the five spring tournaments, UF won three of them and finished T3 (Pauma Valley Invitational) and 5th (Southern Highlands Collegiate) at the other two outing
Individually, Jack Turner has led the group. He has a team-bests in stroke average (70.8), top5s (3), top10s (4), top25s (9), birdies (104), under par rounds (7) and tournaments (7). He tied for 7th at the SEC Championship at 8-under and went 2-0-1 in match play with the clinching point in the semifinals for the second straight year and took down Tommy Morrison of Texas.
NCAA Columbus Regional (seeds)
No. 1 - Florida
No. 2 - Arizona State
No. 3 - Stanford
No. 4 - Long Beach State
No. 5 - Florida State
No. 6 - Utah
No. 7 - South Carolina
No. 8 - Calfornia
No. 9 - South Florida
No. 10 - Memphis
No. 11 - Oregon
No. 12 - Illinois State
No. 13 - Wright State
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
No. 1 - Riccardo Fantinelli (Princeton)
No. 2 - Ryan Shellberg (Iowa)
No. 3 - Paul Beauvy (Iowa State)
No. 4 - Chun-Ta Wu (Minnesota)
No. 5 - Caleb Bond (Michigan State)
No. 6 - Ashton McCulloch (Michigan State)
No. 7 - Lucas Politano (Rutgers)
No. 8 - Carter Maneth (Middle Tennessee State)
No. 9 - Zachary May (Iowa State)
No. 10 - Arjun Singh Bhatia (Long Island)
Both golf programs earned No. 1 seeds for regionals for the second time in program history with the first-ever being in 2017. Florida is one of three schools (Arkansas & Texas) to have both have a top seed this year.
A three-day, 54-hole event, starts on Monday, May 18 at OSU Golf Club (Scarlet Course) in Columbus, Ohio hosted by Ohio State University. At the conclusion of play, the top five teams as well as the low individual finisher not on an advancing team will advance to the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. from May 29-June 3. The Columbus Regional will feature a field of 13 teams.
This marks the sixth straight year the Gators have been a top-3 seed and in regionals and the eighth time under head coach J.C. Deacon. In 11 total regional appearances with Deacon at the helm, Florida has been a top-3 seed nine times and a top-2 seed six times. The Gators have advanced to the final postseason event five consecutive seasons and eight of the 10 times under Deacon.
This is the second time Florida has played in the Columbus Regional with the first being in 2008 when the Gators were a 4-seed and finished T4 to advance.
The Gators have qualified for 36 of the 37 all-time men's golf regionals and every year under Deacon as Florida won the inaugural East Regional (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) in 1989. UF has claimed a total of seven team titles (1989, 1992, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2018, 2025) and six individual titles - Brain Gay (1993), Brad Lehmann (1994), Camilo Villegas (2001), Billy Horschel (2006 & 2007) and Andy Zhang (2018)
A total of 81 teams and 45 individuals (not on a competing team) will play across six regional sites - Athens, Ga., Bermuda Run, N.C., Bryan, Texas, Columbus, Ohio, Corvallis, Ore. and Marana, Ariz. Three regional sites will have 13 teams and 10 individuals and three will have 14 teams and five individuals.
Last year, Florida won the Bremerton Regional in Washington at 28-under while Matthew Kress placed runner-up at 11-under. The 28-under par was the third-lowest in regional play last year - Auburn 32-under and Florida State 29-under, who both played on their home course.
Florida started the postseason with a record setting performance and a runner-up finish at the SEC Championship. 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 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, Florida then tied the round record at SECs by score and par with a 269 (-11).
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.
The Gators reached the match play finals for the third time in four years, which ranks second all-time in the conference during a four-year stretch, only Vanderbilt has accomplished the feat with reaching the finals four straight years. UF reached the final round after knocking off Oklahoma (quarterfinals) and Texas (semifinals). The loss in the finals to Ole Miss was the first match play lost this season.
Florida has captured five team titles for the fourth straight season and the first time in program history. UF won four straight tournaments, tied for the third-longest streak in program history. The Gators closed the fall season 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. In the five spring tournaments, UF won three of them and finished T3 (Pauma Valley Invitational) and 5th (Southern Highlands Collegiate) at the other two outing
Individually, Jack Turner has led the group. He has a team-bests in stroke average (70.8), top5s (3), top10s (4), top25s (9), birdies (104), under par rounds (7) and tournaments (7). He tied for 7th at the SEC Championship at 8-under and went 2-0-1 in match play with the clinching point in the semifinals for the second straight year and took down Tommy Morrison of Texas.
NCAA Columbus Regional (seeds)
No. 1 - Florida
No. 2 - Arizona State
No. 3 - Stanford
No. 4 - Long Beach State
No. 5 - Florida State
No. 6 - Utah
No. 7 - South Carolina
No. 8 - Calfornia
No. 9 - South Florida
No. 10 - Memphis
No. 11 - Oregon
No. 12 - Illinois State
No. 13 - Wright State
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
No. 1 - Riccardo Fantinelli (Princeton)
No. 2 - Ryan Shellberg (Iowa)
No. 3 - Paul Beauvy (Iowa State)
No. 4 - Chun-Ta Wu (Minnesota)
No. 5 - Caleb Bond (Michigan State)
No. 6 - Ashton McCulloch (Michigan State)
No. 7 - Lucas Politano (Rutgers)
No. 8 - Carter Maneth (Middle Tennessee State)
No. 9 - Zachary May (Iowa State)
No. 10 - Arjun Singh Bhatia (Long Island)
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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