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Gators men’s golf tee ‘ed off at 8 a.m. on Monday, beginning the NCAA Regional Championship. Regionals are being hosted in West Lafayette, Indiana, and will last through Wednesday. Each day consists of 18 holes, for a total of 54-hole stroke play.
https://twitter.com/GatorsGolf/status/1789975093264716078
Gators are the Returning Champs
The Gators, led by coach J.C. Deacon, will be making their ninth-straight appearance in an NCAA regional and hope to make their fourth-straight appearance in the national championship.
Last season, the team won the 2023 NCAA D1 men’s golf championship against Georgia Tech. They took the title with a 3-1 match-play win.
There are seven returning players on the team from last season: Parker Bell, Quentin Debove, John DuBois, Ryan Hart, Matthew Kress, Luke Poulter, and Tyler Wilkes.
In the NCAA Bath Regional in East Lansing, Michigan last year, John DuBois helped lead Florida to secure the win with a score of 69, -2. Today, he tee’ ed off at 8 a.m. to start for the Gators.
Matthew Kress also helped to move UF back up the leaderboard during last year’s regional, with a string of birdies alongside former teammate Ricky Castillo. He also started in today’s lineup, teeing off as No.4.
Monday’s Lineup
Currently the Gators are No. 14 and have a lot to prove as reigning champions.
The starting lineup for Monday includes No.1–John DuBois, No. 2–Parker Bell, No.3–Jack Turner, No.4–Matthew Kress, and No.5–Ian Gilligan.
The lineup in West Lafayette ⛳️
Live Scoring: https://t.co/sQTNnm01LT pic.twitter.com/UKz9LqMLSw
— Gators Golf (@GatorsGolf) May 13, 2024
Sophomore, Parker Bell, and freshman, Jack Turner, are the only players making their first career starts’ this week for the Gators. However, both players were in the lineup for the SEC Championship in April.
Despite being a freshman, Turner has been a huge asset this season. He secured two 2024 SEC Freshman of the Week finishes, as well as earning the SEC All-Freshman Team honor.
Up Next for the Gators
At the end of regional play, the top five teams and the low individual finisher, who is not on an advancing team, will move onto the NCAA Championship and Champions Course at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, California. The Championships will take place from May 24-29th.
