Florida coach Buddy Alexander found himself in an unusual position Sunday afternoon on the Mark Bostick Golf Course.
Four players ended up tied with even par scores for the 54-hole tournament, and three of them were Gators.
“I was really happy with it,” Alexander said. “It really says something about our depth that we can have three players contending that late in a tournament.”
Florida senior Andres Echavarria was the last man standing in the four-hole, sudden-death playoff.
Echavarria ousted sophomore teammate Phillip Choi after the first hole, senior standout Bank Vongvanij after three holes and finally, Florida State senior Drew Kittleson on the deciding fourth hole.
It was a gutsy performance by Echavarria, who made up a two-stroke deficit to Kittleson in the last three holes before outlasting the three other competitors in the playoff.
Florida won the Gator Invitational by a dominant margin, beating second-place Auburn by nine strokes. Despite a 4-over-par score for the tournament, Alexander was not impressed by the Gators’ play.
“We played well enough to win, but not good by our standards,” he said. “We let Auburn back into it in the middle of the final round, which I was really disappointed with. We definitely have a lot to work on.”
The win is Florida’s second this spring and its third in five events going back to the fall. They will look to continue their recent run of success at the John Hayt Invitational at the Sawgrass Country Club on Feb. 27.
According to Alexander, UF’s depth will be the key to its continued success.
At his weekly press conference, Alexander said his No. 4 player would be the best in the nation at the position, no matter who he chooses. That bold statement proved to be a fitting prelude to the weekend’s events.
Listed as the Florida’s No. 4 golfer for the tournament: Andres Echavarria, 2011 Gator Invitational Champion.
