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Thursday, March 28, 2024
<p>Florida&#x27;s Yuxin Lin of the Florida men&#x27;s golf team competes in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Cle Elum Regional at Tumble Creek Golf Club in Cle Elum, Wash., on May 19, 2021. (Photography by Stephen Brashear/Red Box Pictures)</p>

Florida's Yuxin Lin of the Florida men's golf team competes in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Cle Elum Regional at Tumble Creek Golf Club in Cle Elum, Wash., on May 19, 2021. (Photography by Stephen Brashear/Red Box Pictures)

The Florida men’s golf team was in Windermere, Florida, Sunday through Tuesday for its final tournament of the 2022 fall season: the Isleworth Collegiate at the Isleworth Golf and Country Club.

The Gators ended the tournament 15-under par. UF also boasted four individuals — Yuxin Lin, Quentin Debove, Fred Biondi and John DuBois — finishing inside the top 25. 

DuBois, a Windemere native, led Florida on day one.The senior got off to a great start and was 4-under par through his opening eight holes, making him the individual leader at times Sunday. DuBois tied for the second lowest round of the day with a 5-under-par 67, his fourth under-par round this fall.

Freshman Matthew Kress also tied for the solo lead during the opening round. Competing as an individual, Kress carded a clean back nine and was 4-under par making the turn to the front. He fell back through the second half of his round, finishing 2-over par.

Debove had the Gators’ second under round with a 2-under-par 70. The junior wrapped up his final four holes with two birdies and pars to end his opening round. Erasing 4-over par in the first half Sunday, Lin went 3-under par on the next nine with no bogeys to record a 1-over-par 73 in round one.

As a team UF shot a 2-under-par 286 to sit in second after the opening round. The Gators were the only team under-par, outside of tournament leader Auburn.

On the second, Debove’s 5-under-par 67 was two strokes back from his career low he set in the fall opener this season and one back from the tournament low shot by Auburn’s Alex Vogelsong. The round marked his second under-par outing, and he sat just three shots back from the individual lead heading into Tuesday. 

Lin recorded Florida’s second lowest round and third in the 60s. He was 3-under par on the front and was 5-under par through 11 holes. Lin shot a 4-under-par 68 to sit tied for ninth after the second round. Two strokes back from Lin was DuBois,who was tied for 13th. 

Kress was able to close out his round strong this time around for a 2-under-par 70. He moved into the top 20 at T18. Among the two other individuals competing, Kress had an 11 stroke and 13 stroke advantage heading into the final 18 holes. 

Ricky Castillo’s 2-over-par 74 was the fourth score counted for Florida, a three-stroke improvement from his opening round. 

After entering the second day 13 strokes behind Auburn, Florida cut the Tigers’ lead to eight after 36 holes with a 10-under-par 278 team score. UF remained in second place and was one of the three schools (Auburn and Purdue) under par for the tournament. 

The Gators found their stride in the second round after the lineup was 2-over par through the first two holes. 

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Biondi and Debove erased their bogeys on the second hole and posted a 3-under-par 69 and 5-under-par 67 respectively. Biondi carded birdies on four straight holes, the seventh through the 10th, and had five in six holes to jump 18 spots on the final day. His 3-under-par 69 moved him into a tie for 26th. 

Biondi’s second round performance cut seven strokes off his round one score. The Gators cut the Tigers lead to eight strokes by the end of the second round, and they dwindled the gap to as few as three strokes during the final round. However, Florida’s momentum stalled, and Auburn held on for a12 stroke victory at 27-under par. 

Lin started the UF push with a birdie on the fifth hole and then an eagle on the par-5 seventh to cut the deficit to six strokes. He was perfect on the front nine for the third consecutive day to combine for 9-under overall on the front. The senior finished the tournament with a 3-under-par 69. Lin shot 6-under par over the tournament and had Florida’s best individual finish, tying for fifth.

The Auburn lead trimmed to three strokes with Biondi’s eagle on the par-4 10th hole.. An All American selection last season, he carded back-to-back birdies on holes 16 and 17 to turn in a 4-under-par 68. Biondi ended the tournament in a four-way tie for 11th. 

Debove recorded his second top-10 finish of the fall, shooting 4-under par for the tournament. DuBois was the fourth Gator in the lineup to crack the top 25 at 19th. Castillo rounded out the lineup in a tie for 61st. 

Posting a career best finish, Kress finished in a tie for 17th. He shot 1-under par and beat the other individuals by 17 and 22 strokes. 

The Gators open their spring season Jan. 30, 2023, at the Sea Best Invitational, an event Florida has won five times. The tournament will be held at the world-famous TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. 

Contact Alyssa Britton-Harr at abritton-harr@alligator.org . Follow her on Twitter @abrittonharr.

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Alyssa Britton-Harr

Alyssa Britton-Harr is a second-year journalism major and a sports reporter for The Alligator. In her free time, she enjoys cheering on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and spending time with her friends. 


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