Four Gators named All-America Scholars
Monday, August 3, 2026 | Men's Golf
Parker Bell, Matthew Kress, Luke Poulter and Parker Sands all earned recognition.
NORMAN, Okla. - Florida men's golfers Parker Bell, Matthew Kress, Luke Poulter and Parker Sands all were named 2025-26 All-America Scholars, the Golf Coaches Association of America announced on Monday. The four selections are the most in a single-season in program history.
Kress earns the honor for the third straight season and is the first Gator in program history to accomplish the feat while Bell collects his second nod and Poulter and Sands their first. Kress and Poulter were named All-America for their performances on the course and in the classroom this season.
To be eligible for Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar nomination, an individual must be a sophomore, junior or senior both academically and athletically, participate in 50% of their team's competitive rounds, have a stroke average under 76.0 in NCAA Division I, and maintain a minimum cumulative career grade-point average of 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at their college or university.
Rising senior and the No. 4 ranked amateur in the world, Poulter won his second collegiate event at the Columbus Regional and was second on the team in stroke average at 71.2. His resume last year featured All-America Third Team by GCAA and Golfweek, All-Region, All-SEC Second Team, SEC Honor Roll and was selected to compete in his second Arnold Palmer Cup where he earned an exemption into the PGA TOUR's 2027 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Outside of a T39 and T55, he finished T16 or better in each tournament and was par or better in eight of 10 tournaments played. He turned in under par rounds of 68 (-4) and 71 (-1) to help Florida's surge into match play at the NCAAs.
A breakout year two and postseason story, Sands adds the nod to his All-Region selection. The junior began his postseason with a T17 (-5) and a 2-1 record in match play at the SEC Championship. He continued the momentum into regionals and finished runner-up after opening with a 5-under 65. At the National Championship, he had a pair of 71s (-1) and secured a 3&2 win over Oklahoma State's Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson in the quarterfinals. Sands' stroke average of 71.48 was fourth-lowest on the team while six of his 10 postseason rounds were under par and made 97 birdies across 10 tournament appearances.
The final starter of the 2023 National Championship lineup, Kress capped off his collegiate career. He was a two-time GCAA and 2026 Golfweek All-America selections, 2026 All-Region honoree, two-time All-SEC, and secured a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament Team with a T9 (-3) finish at the National Championship last year after his T2 at regionals the week prior. Kress helped Florida win two SEC Championships, a National Championship, won an individual collegiate title and was part of 23 team victories.
Graduating with his degree in Economics with Summa Cum Laude honors, he finished No. 16 in the final PGA TOUR U Rankings to earn membership on PGA TOUR Americas the rest of the season and be exempt into Second Stage of the current season's PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry. Kress had a career-low stroke average of 71.4 while posting a team-best four top-5s. He was second on the team in multiple categories -birdies (118), rounds counted (30) and par or better rounds (21). Kress finished T2 at regionals in consecutive seasons and in his fourth National Championship he shot three rounds of par or better.
The second UF golfer to wrap up his career, Bell, earned his degree in Sport Management with Cum Laude distinction. This past season, he led Florida to its East Lake Cup victory by securing the match-clinching point 1Up over Virginia's Ben James, who finished No. 1 in the final PGA TOUR U Rankings. Bell tied for second (-2) in stroke play and went 2-0 in match play at East Lake. He was the postseason alternate last season and held a stroke average of 72.6 with one top-5, two top-10s and three top-25s
Kress earns the honor for the third straight season and is the first Gator in program history to accomplish the feat while Bell collects his second nod and Poulter and Sands their first. Kress and Poulter were named All-America for their performances on the course and in the classroom this season.
To be eligible for Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar nomination, an individual must be a sophomore, junior or senior both academically and athletically, participate in 50% of their team's competitive rounds, have a stroke average under 76.0 in NCAA Division I, and maintain a minimum cumulative career grade-point average of 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at their college or university.
Rising senior and the No. 4 ranked amateur in the world, Poulter won his second collegiate event at the Columbus Regional and was second on the team in stroke average at 71.2. His resume last year featured All-America Third Team by GCAA and Golfweek, All-Region, All-SEC Second Team, SEC Honor Roll and was selected to compete in his second Arnold Palmer Cup where he earned an exemption into the PGA TOUR's 2027 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Outside of a T39 and T55, he finished T16 or better in each tournament and was par or better in eight of 10 tournaments played. He turned in under par rounds of 68 (-4) and 71 (-1) to help Florida's surge into match play at the NCAAs.
A breakout year two and postseason story, Sands adds the nod to his All-Region selection. The junior began his postseason with a T17 (-5) and a 2-1 record in match play at the SEC Championship. He continued the momentum into regionals and finished runner-up after opening with a 5-under 65. At the National Championship, he had a pair of 71s (-1) and secured a 3&2 win over Oklahoma State's Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson in the quarterfinals. Sands' stroke average of 71.48 was fourth-lowest on the team while six of his 10 postseason rounds were under par and made 97 birdies across 10 tournament appearances.
The final starter of the 2023 National Championship lineup, Kress capped off his collegiate career. He was a two-time GCAA and 2026 Golfweek All-America selections, 2026 All-Region honoree, two-time All-SEC, and secured a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament Team with a T9 (-3) finish at the National Championship last year after his T2 at regionals the week prior. Kress helped Florida win two SEC Championships, a National Championship, won an individual collegiate title and was part of 23 team victories.
Graduating with his degree in Economics with Summa Cum Laude honors, he finished No. 16 in the final PGA TOUR U Rankings to earn membership on PGA TOUR Americas the rest of the season and be exempt into Second Stage of the current season's PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry. Kress had a career-low stroke average of 71.4 while posting a team-best four top-5s. He was second on the team in multiple categories -birdies (118), rounds counted (30) and par or better rounds (21). Kress finished T2 at regionals in consecutive seasons and in his fourth National Championship he shot three rounds of par or better.
The second UF golfer to wrap up his career, Bell, earned his degree in Sport Management with Cum Laude distinction. This past season, he led Florida to its East Lake Cup victory by securing the match-clinching point 1Up over Virginia's Ben James, who finished No. 1 in the final PGA TOUR U Rankings. Bell tied for second (-2) in stroke play and went 2-0 in match play at East Lake. He was the postseason alternate last season and held a stroke average of 72.6 with one top-5, two top-10s and three top-25s
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