For a decent portion of the Gators Invitational, No. 10 Florida was behind No. 2 Auburn. It looked like the Gators would drop their first Gators Invitational in seven years.
With an almost 12-hour Day 1, along with a suspended Round 2 that had to be resumed the following day, UF had plenty of adversity to overcome. Those factors, along with 17 other teams fighting for a crucial win, put UF’s winning streak in doubt.
Despite all that, the Gators did not allow their streak to end.
Up until the last hole, the Gators and the Tigers were far ahead of third-place No. 12 Oklahoma State. Despite Auburn sporting a combined -18 in the first two rounds, they had a rough final round and ended with an 827 (-13). Meanwhile, the Gators ended their home tournament with an 813 (-27), which marks the best score of the season thus far.
Ultimately, UF won its seventh-straight Gators Invitational on Sunday, and it now has 32 victories in its 49th year of operation. The Gators Invitational is tied for the sixth-longest-running D1 golf tournament.
The team lineup consisted of Matthew Kress, Jack Turner, Zack Swanwick, Parker Sands and Noah Kent. Meanwhile, Josh Bai, Parker Bell, Trevor Gutschewski and Parker Severs all participated in individual play. Luke Poulter did not play due to injury.
Florida shot -9 in Round 1, with all five starters shooting under par. Sands and Kress both went -3, which contributed to their solid standing. Auburn’s lead after the first round could be credited to No. 2 nationally ranked Jackson Koivun and Jake Albert, who went 8-under-par apiece.
Round 2 proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back for the Tigers. For about half of those 18 holes, Auburn was in the lead. However, Turner emerged and posted a career-low 64 (-6), along with the four other starters being under par once again. The Gators scored a -14, which put them five points clear of Auburn heading into the final stage.
On Day 2, there was a wind advisory with gusts up to 45 miles per hour. Besides the inclement weather, the Gators had more to overcome. Early in Round 3, Auburn was only two points behind Florida due to some Gator bogey trouble. Ultimately, Sands and Swanwick both eagled on Hole 7, which helped separate the two sides. The Gators had a combined three eagles and were the only team to be under par in the final round.
Kress and Kent led the way for UF with a 204 (-6), good for a third-place tie in the whole tournament.
Kress had four birdies in Round One and five in Round Two. Despite accumulating three single bogeys in the first six holes of the final round, the senior had an eagle later on that solidified his standing.
“I didn’t want to end my career here at Florida losing this tournament,” Kress said. “This was four in a row for me, and it’s pretty cool just to defend their home turf.”
Kent was very consistent, shooting 2-under-par all three rounds. The junior had five birdies in Round Two and six each for Rounds 1 and 3. This marks Kent’s best tournament, which includes his days at Iowa.
“And this is actually my first time ever winning as a team,” Kent said. “All 10 of us, even the guys that weren’t playing, everybody just puts their best foot forward and works so hard.”
Swanwick bounced back after a 1-over-par Round 1, where he had two single bogeys and a double bogey. The sophomore had four birdies and an eagle in the final round of play, which was good for a 205 (-5).
Despite Turner having a career-best Round 2, he went 3-over-par in Round 3. Both Turner and Sands finished with a 206 (-4).
All five Gators starters ended the tournament with scores under par.
Gutschewski was the best performer in individual play. The freshman ended with a 207 (-3), which was the only score to be under par.
“So excited for Trev,” Florida head coach J.C. Deacon said. “He’s right in the mix here, and just got to keep learning and keep the pedal down.”
The Gators travel to Las Vegas for the Southern Highlands Collegiate on March 1, with a start time still to be determined. The tournament will be held at Southern Highlands Golf Club and hosted by UNLV.
Contact Colby Kistner at ckistner@alligator.org. Follow him on X @colbykistner22.
Colby is a junior sports journalism student in his first semester with the Alligator covering golf. He has experience covering Buchholz and Santa Fe High School sports. He also worked in UF's innovation center where he wrote and created radio content for WRUF. He is an avid hockey fan with his teams being the Seattle Kraken and Florida Panthers. He is looking to minor in business administration.
