The Gators tee of today at noon at Sherwood Country Club. Located in Thousand Oaks, California, the Southwestern International will be the start to the Gators’ golf spring season on the green.
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The tournament runs from January 27th through January 29th, with Pepperdine University as the host of the event.
This will be Florida’s third official appearance in the tournament, with their first showing beginning back in 1987. The event will task the Gators to complete all 18 holes each day of the tournament. But who will be repping orange and blue? Here is the roster:
The Line-Up
No.1) Ian Gilligan
No.2) Jack Turner
No.3) Parker Bell
No.4) Luke Poulter
No.5) Zack Swanwick
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The Team’s History
Some familiar faces are back for more. Luke Poulter is returning for his second spring season in his college career. Logging two top-10 and six top-25 finishes in his 2023-2024 year, Poulter is expected to help push the team to victory. But he’s not the only one returning.
In addition, Parker Bell was labelled as a pre-season All-American by the SEC network alongside Gilligan. Beginning his professional career in 2021, Bell surfaced as one of the most notable players on the roster. Bell received low amateur and amateur ranks that are what helped him move up to the 2024 US Open playoffs. Bell set the standard for that year’s event, making the first birdie in the tournament and shot rounds of 77-70 between matches. He only missed the cut by two shots.
Furthermore, Ian Gilligan and Jack Turner return from their fall season after their astounding performances on the course. With stable stroke averages of 71.0 and 71.1 respectively, Gilligan and Turner individually scored two top-10 finishes and were undefeated in match play with a final score of 3-0.
Moreover, Florida freshman Zach Swanwick joins the roster after his placement records in the New Zealand Open and the 2024 Austrian Masters of Amateur, placing low amateur and 3rd place respectively. Other achievements would being labelled as the back-to-back champion at the New Zealand U19 from 2022-2023, finishing 11th in the 2023 Junior World Cup, and finishing 12th in the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.
The Tournament
Stay tuned as the boys in blue and orange play today. The team’s statistical performance will be up later in the afternoon.