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Thursday, March 28, 2024
<p>UF's Sam Horsfield swings during the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 18, 2017, at the Mark Bostic Golf Course.</p>

UF's Sam Horsfield swings during the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 18, 2017, at the Mark Bostic Golf Course.

Last year, Sam Horsfield claimed his third title of the season and Gordon Neale shot 5 under to finish two shots back in second place at the Mason Rudolph Championship.

However, the sweep of the top two spots wasn’t enough for the Gators as Vanderbilt claimed the team title with a one-shot advantage over Florida.

This year, coach J.C. Deacon’s team is chasing much more than a second-place finish after surging up the leaderboard and stealing the Schenkel Invitational title, as they trailed by eight strokes entering the final round.

“For the guys to come back and have the incredible team week that we did, they really played hard for each other and played as a unit,” Deacon said Thursday. “Literally, it was like a dream weekend for all of us and a lot of fun was had and a lot was accomplished.”

In a press conference, Deacon also said it was a special win for the team.

“That was by far the most emotional win that I’ve experienced since I got to the University of Florida and I know the team felt the same way.”

Coming off a performance that saw him tie for 18th, Neale said he wasn’t too excited about his time at the Schenkel.

“With my actual play, I wasn’t very happy with it,” Neale said. “But I was happy with the way we were all able to play as a team and pull off a victory together.”

The sophomore has five top-20 finishes so far this season. He was able to finish tied for second at the Windon Memorial, but has been unable to crack the top-fifteen in the past three tournaments. Despite his recent struggles, his performance at Schenkel and the chance to return to a course he’s had success at is a bright spot for the sophomore.

“It’s always really fun to go back to a course with good memories,” Neale said. “I can’t wait to go back and it’s definitely been one I’ve been looking forward to all year.”

As for the rest of the lineup, coach Deacon has said that the final lineup for the Mason Rudolph Championship in Nashville, Tennessee, is still in the works.

“Sam Horsfield, Gordon Neale, Andy Zhang and Ryan Orr will all be in the lineup at Vandy and the last couple of spots are to be determined,” Deacon said.

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When asked about whether Alejandro Tosti, the sophomore from Argentina, would return to the lineup, coach Deacon said Tosti is one of the most talented golfers he has ever seen, but he must put the team first.

“Ali has just made some decisions that haven’t met up to our standards. And it’s going to be up to him to make some better decisions to get himself back in there.”

The Gators will leave today and tee off in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday for the Mason Rudolph Championship to begin their final tournament before the SEC Championships in St. Simons Island, Georgia.

Contact Justin Ahlum at jahlum@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @justinn_case1.

UF's Sam Horsfield swings during the SunTrust Gator Invitational on Feb. 18, 2017, at the Mark Bostic Golf Course.

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