Gators Men’s Golf Wins Timuquana Collegiate in Two-Hole Playoff

The Gators men’s golf team celebrates today after outlasting the Liberty Flames in a two-hole playoff at the Timuquana Collegiate.

After a variation of front-nine scores, Florida started the 10th hole at even par and looked for a strong back nine. The team came through, sinking 13 birdie putts to record a four-below par on the day. After 54 holes, both the Gators and Flames were knotted at 21-under par and headed to a playoff.

It only took two holes in the playoffs for the Gators to clinch the victory, as freshman Joe Pagdin drilled a birdie putt to clinch the title for Florida.

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“I’m happy for our guys!” Head Coach JC Deacon said. “Winning like that in a playoff was so much fun. Our goal today was to play hard for each other and we certainly did that. We have a lot to work on, but starting the spring with a W is fantastic.”

Sophomore Ricky Castillo was the top-performer of the tournament for the team, shooting back-to-back under-par scores in the first two rounds and tying for an eighth-place behind a six-under-par total score of 210.

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Junior Manny Girona, making his first appearance in the Gators lineup since the 2020 Gators Invitational, recorded a career-low of four-under-par total score of 212, tying for 15th place.

Next, the team will return to Gainesville for the Gators Invitational, a three-day tournament beginning on Feb. 14, and continuing into the weekend.