Traveling to the west coast for the NCAA Golf National Championships could have posed many problems for the Florida men’s and women’s golf teams. It is typical for teams to struggle when traveling long distances, especially across time zones.
Despite hailing from the eastern time zone in Gainesville, Florida, the Gators were able to see success at the National Championship in Carlsbad, California.
However, it was not enough, as both teams failed to capture championship gold despite their strong efforts.
Florida’s women’s team was one of four teams that tied for third place out of 30 teams at the end of round one. Freshman Jessica Guiser was the leader on the course for the Gators as she went bogey-free.
Entering competition, Florida was the No. 17 seed, so the performance exceeded expectations. Along with Guiser, the three other counted scores belonged to redshirt freshman Addison Klonowski and sophomores Ines Archer and Paula Francisco.
The sophomore duo has been a key component to Florida’s team competition throughout the season. In round one, their two scores offset, allowing the team to finish the day even with par.
During round two of the national championship, the Gators were met with high wind gusts. Although used to playing in temperamental conditions like rain at the Gators Invitational, Florida failed to maintain composure.
The Gators carded 13-over for their second score of the tournament, dropping the team to joint-15th position.
Entering the third day of competition, Florida sat in the final slot to compete on day four of stroke play.
Heading toward the turn, the Gators recorded five birdies. It put them in 13th place, which was inside the cut.
However, the back nine came with many hardships for Florida. Through holes 11-18, the team logged 5-over par.
The performance sent the Gators to an early postseason end. The team missed the final cut by three strokes, forcing Florida to end in 17th place in the tournament.
"I know this week left us motivated and hungry,” UF coach Emily Glaser said. “We didn't play our best this week but the experience was so valuable to our future.”
The program remains optimistic for its future because of its young roster. With two freshmen and two sophomores leading the national title battle, Florida was one of the youngest teams competing in the 2025 National Championship.
Although the team competition had ended, the individual national championship was still up for grabs, and Klonowski was Florida’s lone qualifier.
She was one of nine finalists who competed for the individual title. Her performance placed her among some of the Florida golfing greats.
She recorded a final score of 2-under, tying for 24th place. This is the highest that a UF freshman has placed since 2005 when Tiffany Chuddy tied for 16th place.
Soon after, the Florida’s men’s golf team excelled in postseason competition. After a four-win regular season, the Gators moved on to compete at their regional tournament.
The team’s win at the Bremerton Regional Tournament propelled it to the national championship at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, California.
Freshman Zack Swanwick and sophomore Luke Poulter lead the team on the first day of stroke play. Both golfers finished 2-under.
This, in combination with sophomore Jack Turner and senior Ian Gilligan’s scores, allowed the Gators to finish in second place after the opening day.
After 36 holes, the Gators recorded a second straight score under par. This feat came after the team’s strong performance on the final two holes of round two.
On holes 17 and 18, Florida scored 5-under, sealing its fourth place position. Poulter continued to lead the team with his own consecutive scores under par, ending the day tied for fifth place.
Junior Matthew Kress was the next leader for the Gators. He shot 3-under during round three, bringing the team to a final score of 1-under.
For the fourth consecutive season, coach J.C. Deacon led Florida to the final round of stroke play at the National Championship.
In this final round, the Gators began to show their full potential. Their final combined score for the day was 8-under, advancing to match play 13 strokes below the cut.
The final standings for the PGA Tour University Rankings were finalized after stroke play. Gilligan, who entered the season ranked No. 8, finished No. 4 in the nation.
He has now earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the remainder of the season. He is the fourth Gator in program history to finish in the national Top-10.
Once the quarterfinal matches were set, Florida was paired against the No. 6 Texas Longhorns. This mirrored the 2023 quarterfinal matchup, which led to a Gators national championship victory.
While Florida did not go on to earn the title, they did defeat the Longhorns once again. With a final score of 3-2, Gilligan clenched the match-winning point for the team.
The semifinal match against Virginia saw the Cavaliers take an early 2-0 lead. Poulter then lost his match against junior Ben James, giving Virginia the advantage to move into the finals.
Virginia then went on to lose to Oklahoma State as the Cowboys earned their 12th national title in program history.
"I am most proud of their development of young men and their golf games got a lot better too,” Deacon said. “The accolades this year are substantial and it was a big-time year for us."
Turner and Poulter will return to competition June 5 when they compete for Teams USA and International, respectively, at the Arnold Palmer Cup.
Contact Brooke Bastedo at bbastedo@alligator.org. Follow her on X @BrookeBastedo.
