Scenes from the Gators' practice round in Scottsdale Arizona on Thursday. Photo courtesy of @GatorsGolf Twitter.

Gators Men’s Golf Defeats Jacksonville to Begin 2024

Cooper Bates January 23, 2024 Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Golf, Gators Sports, Golf, SEC 51 Views

The Florida men’s golf team started off its spring campaign with a 6-1 match play victory over Jacksonville at the Pablo Creek Collegiate Cup on Monday.

It marked the Gators’ second win of the 2023-2024 season and fourth straight spring opening victory. Monday’s win also helped the Gators improve to 13-8-1 in match play since 2017.

Debove Dominates

The Gators were led by senior Quentin Debove who defeated Dolphins freshman Will Harris in dominant fashion with 9 and 7 win. Debove secured the Gators’ first win of the afternoon with a birdie on the 11th hole and didn’t lose a single hole throughout the match.

 DuBois Wins 6&4

Following Debove was fifth-year John DuBois who put the Gators up 2-0 on the day with a victory over Dolphins freshmen Jackson Klauk. DuBois was three up on the match after 11 holes and finished par-birdie-birdie on holes 12, 13 and 14 en route to a 6 and 4 win.

Bell Suffers Lone Loss of the Day

Florida sophomore Parker Bell fell short to Dolphins sophomore Tomas Hjalsted who halved the 17th hole for a 2 and 1 victory. The final six holes were halved in this match as Hjalsted held off Bell on the back nine to earn the Dolphins only win of the day.

Turner Rights the Ship

Freshmen Jack Turner got the Gators back on track following a birdie on the 13th hole to win 7 and 5 over Dolphins sophomore Daniel Montalvo. Turner, who was playing in his second collegiate tournament, jumped out to a six-hole lead after nine holes and joined Debove in not losing one hole throughout the match.

https://twitter.com/GatorsGolf/status/1749538868389650485

Kress Wins to Clinch Match

Sophomore Matthew Kress won the match clinching point for the Gators with a 4 and 3 win over Dolphins graduate student Josef Hacker. Kress was just one up on the match after ten holes but managed to win three of the next five holes, including birdies on holes 11 and 14, to seal the match.

Gilligan Grinds Out a W

Junior Ian Gilligan prevailed over Dolphins junior Jack Neill with a 2 and 1 win. It was the closest win by a Gator on the day with Gilligan ending the match on the 17th hole with a par to halve the hole.

https://twitter.com/GatorsGolf/status/1749547422211014919

Wilkes Wins Final Match of the Day

Senior Tyler Wilkes finished off the day for the Gators with a 4 and 2 win over Dolphins redshirt senior Alexandre Vandermoten. Wilkes held off Vandermoten on the back nine after leading by four holes on the front nine before locking down the win on the 16th hole with a par.

The Gators will look to keep things rolling when they return to Jacksonville on January 29 and 30 for the Seabest Invitational at TPC Sawgrass.

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