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The No. 10/12 Florida men’s golf team has one regular-season tournament remaining before the SEC Championship later this month. UF has finished top-5 in all but one of its seven stroke play tournaments this season. Florida has three top-three finishes and one team win (Gators Invitational).
The Gators have played at a high level. All of Florida’s golfers have contributed at times this season, with no runaway player that has carried the squad to its success. In fact, Florida’s starting five for the SEC Championship is still up in the air. Head coach J.C. Deacon has a lot to work with and needs to figure out who he thinks can contribute the most. With 21 top-10 finishes spread across the ten-man roster, the Gators’ core starting five can be debated.
Although most golfers on the team have contributed at some point or another, one golfer stands out as the best performer of the 2024- 25 season. His consistency will prove valuable in postseason play, where one bad round could mean missing the cut and ending the season short.
Ian Gilligan
Senior Ian Gilligan has been the University of Florida’s best male golfer of the season. Currently third in PGA TOUR University rankings, Gilligan is just a few tournaments away from earning a spot on the PGA TOUR University First Team.
PGA TOUR U is a program designed and administered by the PGA to identify the best college golfers in the United States and to provide such players with playing opportunities on tours operated under the PGA TOUR umbrella. Players who finish on the first team (1st-5th) earn tons of benefits:
- Earn Korn Ferry Tour membership for the then-current season and will be exempt into all open, full-field Korn Ferry Tour events beginning the week following the conclusion of the NCAA Division-I National Championship through the end of the current Korn Ferry Tour regular season
- Earn exempt membership on PGA TOUR Americas Segment I (through the Latin America Swing) the season following his finish in PGA TOUR University
- Have no limit to the number of PGA TOUR events he plays as a nonmember in the then-current season and the following season
- Have no limit to the number of PGA TOUR sponsor exemptions he may receive in the then-current season and the following season
Let's take a look at a player with some big-time wins under his belt during this award season, @GatorsGolf senior standout Ian Gilligan. #HoganHopefuls pic.twitter.com/Qb9IjJpmQ5
— Ben Hogan Award (@BenHoganAward) April 1, 2025
Gilligan’s Review
The PGA ranks Gilligan as the third-best college golfer in the country. This easily puts him as Florida’s number one. Gilligan has finished top-10 in four of his six tournaments played this season. Two were second-place finishes (Southwestern Invitational and Schenkel Invitational). He finished first once at the Gators Invitational.
Gilligan averages an 11th place finish, the highest average on the team. Take away his T34 outlier finish at the Southern Highlands and he averages a sixth place finish. He averages 70.5 strokes per round this season, tied with sophomore Luke Poulter for the team’s best, though Poulter has played two less tournaments. Ian also snagged two SEC Golfer of the Week awards this season, the most on the team.
Ian Gilligan has dominated for the Florida Gators. Graduating this May, its Gilligan’s last hoorah this postseason. If he can play at his normal level, paired with some solid performances from the rest of the starting five, the Gators can make a run in the SEC tournament.
Honorable Mentions
Jack Turner – Turner is Florida’s second most consistent golfer behind Gilligan. Only a sophomore, Turner finished top-10 in five of his seven tournaments this season. His best finish was a 4th place performance at the Williams Cup where he shot a 6-under-par. He averages 71 strokes per round, ranked third on the team.
Luke Poulter – Poulter returned to play this spring after missing the fall season with an injury. Poulter finished top-6 in two of his four tournaments. His latest tournament was an individual win at the Schenkel Invitational. It was his first career title, and may show that Poulter’s peaking at the right time. His consistency is an issue, with finishes in the thirties sandwiched in between his top performances. Coming back from injury could be to blame, as he may have needed time to get back into the swing of things. In his four events this season, he averages 70.5 strokes a round, tied with Gilligan.
https://twitter.com/SchenkelInvite/status/1904601679330148422
Florida’s roster is full of playmakers. Expect Gilligan, Turner, and Poulter to start in the Gators’ last tournament before the postseason. The Calusa Cup is from April 6 – 8 in Naples, FL. The SEC Championship begins April 23 at St. Simons Island, GA.
