Saturday, February 20
Gainesville, FL
All Day
Florida Gators
vs
SunTrust Gator Invitational
Sophomore Alejandro Tosti is one of two Gators with individual wins this year.
No. 5 Gator Men’s Golf Hosts 39th SunTrust Gator Invitational
Friday, February 19, 2016 | Men's Golf
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Coming off back-to-back team and individual victories, the No. 5 University of Florida men's golf team looks to continue its successful streak when it hosts its lone home event of the year, the SunTrust Gator Invitational, at the Mark Bostick Golf Course this weekend.
The Gators aim to capture the Gator Invitational title for the 26th time in the tournament's 38-year history. Their last win at the home event was in 2011.
Freshman Sam Horsfield will lead the Orange and Blue lineup after picking up his first collegiate title at the Sea Best Invitational. The Davenport, Fla., native owns the squad's best stroke average (70.83) and has already collected a team-best 64 birdies this season. Jorge Garcia, also a freshman, will play in the No. 2 spot. He's coming off a top-five finish at the Sea Best Invitational and a strong winter break showing in which he won the South Beach Amateur and finished as the runner-up at the Latin America Amateur Championship.
Junior Ryan Orr will play in the No. 3 position. He joined Alejandro Tosti, Horsfield and Garcia in the top five at the Sea Best Invitational, tying for fourth and extending his run as the only Florida golfer to earn a top-25 finish in every tournament he has competed in this year.
Tosti, a sophomore, will play in the fourth spot. Before earning runner-up honors at the Sea Best Invitational a couple weeks ago, Tosti closed the fall season with a win at the FGCU Classic and then went on to place third at the Latin America Amateur Championship. Redshirt-junior A.J. Crouch will wrap up the lineup. Crouch has already achieved success at the SunTrust Gator Invitational, placing in the top 20 in 2015.
Senior Richard Donegan, redshirt-junior Conor Richardson, sophomore Ryan Celano, and freshmen Blake Dyer, Gordon Neale, and Kyler Tate will all compete as individuals.
Head Coach JC Deacon
On playing at home:
"It's just a nice week for our guys to spend a lot of time with family and spend a lot of time together. It's going to be really special this week because we have all 11 guys playing. We haven't done that in the past, and I felt like they all really deserved it. It's been a team effort from day one."
On what to expect this weekend:
"The course is great. The greens are absolutely perfect, running fast and firm. I think the teams are really going to enjoy it. There are a bunch of really solid teams from all around the country with some great players and great coaches. It's a great event for our team and for Gainesville, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it all unfold."
Course Information: The Mark Bostick Golf Course is a par-70, 6,701-yard course.
Tournament Information: The tournament will run from Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 20-21, and is hosted by the University of Florida. Admission is free and spectator parking is available at the Campus Church of Christ, located at 2720 SW 2nd Ave. The tournament program is available here.
Format: The event is a two-day, 54-hole stroke play tournament, with 36 holes played on Saturday and 18 played on Sunday. Saturday's action tees off with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. Sunday's tee times range from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
The Gators' Lineup:
Sam Horsfield (Davenport, Fla.)
Jorge Garcia (Anaco, Venezuela)
Ryan Orr (Belleair, Fla.)
Alejandro Tosti (Rosario, Argentina)
A.J. Crouch (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Ryan Celano (Naples, Fla.)*
Richard Donegan (Okeechobee, Fla.)*
Blake Dyer (St. Petersburg, Fla.)*
Gordon Neale (Dove Canyon, Calif)*
Conor Richardson (West Palm Beach, Fla.)*
Kyler Tate (Winter Garden, Fla.)*
*Denotes competing as an individual
Eyeing the Competition: The 14-team field includes three SEC squads and three top-20 schools.
Tournament Field (Golfweek Ranking):
College of Charleston
FLORIDA (5)
Florida State (3)
Georgia Southern
Jacksonville
Liberty
Missouri
North Florida
South Florida
UAB
UCF
UMKC
Vanderbilt (18)
Winthrop
Follow the Gators: Live scoring will be available on GolfStat.com. A complete recap with full results will be posted on FloridaGators.com following the day's play.
Official Website: FloridaGators.com
Facebook: Florida Gators Men's Golf
Twitter: @GatorsGolf
Instagram: @GatorsMGolf
The Gators aim to capture the Gator Invitational title for the 26th time in the tournament's 38-year history. Their last win at the home event was in 2011.
Freshman Sam Horsfield will lead the Orange and Blue lineup after picking up his first collegiate title at the Sea Best Invitational. The Davenport, Fla., native owns the squad's best stroke average (70.83) and has already collected a team-best 64 birdies this season. Jorge Garcia, also a freshman, will play in the No. 2 spot. He's coming off a top-five finish at the Sea Best Invitational and a strong winter break showing in which he won the South Beach Amateur and finished as the runner-up at the Latin America Amateur Championship.
Junior Ryan Orr will play in the No. 3 position. He joined Alejandro Tosti, Horsfield and Garcia in the top five at the Sea Best Invitational, tying for fourth and extending his run as the only Florida golfer to earn a top-25 finish in every tournament he has competed in this year.
Tosti, a sophomore, will play in the fourth spot. Before earning runner-up honors at the Sea Best Invitational a couple weeks ago, Tosti closed the fall season with a win at the FGCU Classic and then went on to place third at the Latin America Amateur Championship. Redshirt-junior A.J. Crouch will wrap up the lineup. Crouch has already achieved success at the SunTrust Gator Invitational, placing in the top 20 in 2015.
Senior Richard Donegan, redshirt-junior Conor Richardson, sophomore Ryan Celano, and freshmen Blake Dyer, Gordon Neale, and Kyler Tate will all compete as individuals.
Head Coach JC Deacon
On playing at home:
"It's just a nice week for our guys to spend a lot of time with family and spend a lot of time together. It's going to be really special this week because we have all 11 guys playing. We haven't done that in the past, and I felt like they all really deserved it. It's been a team effort from day one."
On what to expect this weekend:
"The course is great. The greens are absolutely perfect, running fast and firm. I think the teams are really going to enjoy it. There are a bunch of really solid teams from all around the country with some great players and great coaches. It's a great event for our team and for Gainesville, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it all unfold."
Course Information: The Mark Bostick Golf Course is a par-70, 6,701-yard course.
Tournament Information: The tournament will run from Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 20-21, and is hosted by the University of Florida. Admission is free and spectator parking is available at the Campus Church of Christ, located at 2720 SW 2nd Ave. The tournament program is available here.
Format: The event is a two-day, 54-hole stroke play tournament, with 36 holes played on Saturday and 18 played on Sunday. Saturday's action tees off with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. Sunday's tee times range from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
The Gators' Lineup:
Sam Horsfield (Davenport, Fla.)
Jorge Garcia (Anaco, Venezuela)
Ryan Orr (Belleair, Fla.)
Alejandro Tosti (Rosario, Argentina)
A.J. Crouch (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Ryan Celano (Naples, Fla.)*
Richard Donegan (Okeechobee, Fla.)*
Blake Dyer (St. Petersburg, Fla.)*
Gordon Neale (Dove Canyon, Calif)*
Conor Richardson (West Palm Beach, Fla.)*
Kyler Tate (Winter Garden, Fla.)*
*Denotes competing as an individual
Eyeing the Competition: The 14-team field includes three SEC squads and three top-20 schools.
Tournament Field (Golfweek Ranking):
College of Charleston
FLORIDA (5)
Florida State (3)
Georgia Southern
Jacksonville
Liberty
Missouri
North Florida
South Florida
UAB
UCF
UMKC
Vanderbilt (18)
Winthrop
Follow the Gators: Live scoring will be available on GolfStat.com. A complete recap with full results will be posted on FloridaGators.com following the day's play.
Official Website: FloridaGators.com
Facebook: Florida Gators Men's Golf
Twitter: @GatorsGolf
Instagram: @GatorsMGolf
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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