Gators Men’s Golf Slipping At SEC Championship

The Gators Men’s Golf team entered the SEC Championship ranked No. 8 in the nation but have not lived up to the ranking after the second day of play. Now heading into the final round before Saturday’s match play, Florida will need to stay stable in order to make the cut.

Day One: A Strong Foundation

The Gators were predicted to finish in the top half of the SEC Championship field that features six of the top ten teams in the nation. The Orange and Blue got off to a strong start in stroke play. The team turned in a formidable 275 team score (-5), landing themselves at fifth on the leaderboard. Ahead of the Gators stood Oklahoma (-6), LSU and Texas A&M tied for second (-9), and Auburn (-16) in first, who posted the second lowest SEC Tournament score of all time.

Leading the pack was Ian Gilligan, who placed tied at fifth with a score of 66 (-4) and went bogey-free. Alongside the Nevada native stood his teammates, who also turned in significant scores. Jack Turner, Luke Poulter, and Matthew Kress all ranked within the top half of the 80-man field, each adding a score of par or better. The Gators ended day one feeling confident with their performance at Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Georgia.

https://twitter.com/GatorsGolf/status/1915082276754309139

Day Two: A Different, Bleaker Tale

Coming off of the successful first day, Florida was ready to continue the same on day two. However, the ball did not roll its way, leading to a slide in both the team and individual rankings. The Gators struggled as a team on day two, shooting a 279 round score (-1) and losing four strokes from the day prior. In turn, Florida (-6) slid down one place into sixth, overtaken by a nationally unranked Georgia (-7) squad. Florida also landed behind Texas A&M (-14) in fourth, Oklahoma (-18) in third, and LSU and Auburn tied at first (-26).

Gators are done in round two ⛳️

Florida shoots 1-under and is currently in 6th

Later groups still on the course. pic.twitter.com/v7xiixuqJv

— Gators Golf (@GatorsGolf) April 24, 2025

The day was not any better on the individual side, as Ian Gilligan slid greatly. The senior standout fell 14 places into 19th after shooting a 71 (+1) and ballooning by five strokes from his previous round score. Despite the tough result, there were bright spots on the day for his compatriots. Jack Turner improved by one stroke and jumped ahead to tie Gilligan’s overall placing in 19th. Zach Swanwick also improved from his first score of 71 (+1), cutting three strokes off his score and launching into T-28th.

Day 3 Outlook

Although the Gators sit in sixth at -6, the placing through two days is far from comfortable. Florida feels pressure from Mississippi State and South Carolina, both tied in seventh at -5, just a stroke behind. The Orange and Blue will need to rely on their two best golfers in Ian Gilligan and Jack Turner if they hope two fend off the Bulldogs and Gamecocks and make the eight team cut.

Gilligan and Turner have both contributed impressive scores, just not together on the same day. If Florida can add a pair of scores under par from the two while not losing strokes from its other three golfers, a place in the cut may be in the future. If not, the Gators may be sent packing to Gainesville emptyhanded. Florida has been on the inside of the match play cut line for the past three years and looks to make it four after Friday’s round of play.

The final round of stroke play will take place on Friday, starting at 8:00 a.m. at the tenth hole, where the Gators will pair up with Georgia and Texas A&M. After the final stroke play round, the top eight teams will advance to the match play quarterfinals and then semifinals on Saturday. The five day SEC Championship will cap off on Sunday with the match play final, airing Sunday on SEC Network.

Find live standings for the team stroke play here.

Find live standings for the individual stroke play here.