Gators Men’s Golf Punches Ticket to National Championship
Gators men’s golf chomped their way to the NCAA National Championship in Carlsbad, California, next week.
No. 2 Florida capped off the third and final round of the Columbus Regional at the top of the leaderboard as they shot 7-over Wednesday. With this result, the Gators have now claimed their eighth NCAA regional title.
Across all three rounds, the Gators hit even par as a team. Despite shooting over par in the final round, they ended the tournament with a 24-stroke lead. Florida was triumphant among some of the nation’s best: Stanford, Memphis, Arizona State and in-state rivals Florida State – all ranked within the Top 5.
After shooting 1-over, Luke Poulter took charge for the Gators in the final round, finishing first in the player leaderboard at even par for his second career individual tournament.
Parker Sands and Matthew Kress followed behind Poulter as they both ended regionals at 1-over, with Sands finishing Round 3 at 1-over and Kress at even par. In the player leaderboard, Sands and Kress tied for a second place finish alongside Memphis’ Christian Morneau. Sands received his first ever top-3 result, which should be a massive confidence boost going into his first national championship appearance.
An unfortunate string of bogeys in the back-nine saw Jack Turner end the round at 5-over for a 10th-place finish at 3-over for the week.
Zack Swanwick entered Round 3 at even par but a double bogey on Hole 7 and few additional mishaps in the back half dropped him to over-6, both for the round and overall. Swanwick ends the Columbus Regional tied for 11th place.
Florida is set to make its 59th national championship appearance, which ranks for fourth most in NCAA history. The Gators are chasing their sixth national championship, the most recent being in 2023.
The NCAA National Championship in Carlsbad will tee off on May 29. The Gators enter a still-expanding field of Auburn, Virginia and Texas, among other top programs.
Category: Gators Men's Golf
