From the start of the match play quarterfinals, Oklahoma State was stacking birdies against Florida, averaging about six per golfer.
The Gators answered at times, but the Cowboys kept pulling away.
UF fell 3-2 to Oklahoma State and was eliminated in the national championship for the third straight season.
Parker Sands stood out as the top performer for the Gators, defeating Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson by three holes. Sands had his first lead of the match in hole 13 after Fahlberg ran into bogey trouble by potting two double bogeys and a single between holes 12 and 14. The sophomore Gator totaled seven birdies in 16 holes en route to his win over Fahlberg.
Zack Swanwick mounted a late comeback against Ethan Fang, who nested a single bogey in hole 18 to tie the match up. Then, Swanwick hit a birdie in the playoff to secure the win.
Despite never leading against Preston Stout, who finished first in stroke play, Matthew Kress only lost by one hole. Overall, the senior Gator accumulated four birdies and three single bogeys.
Jack Turner had the edge over Gaven Lane until the back nine. From holes 10 to 17, the junior failed to register a birdie, while Lane had four. Ultimately, Turner lost by two holes.
Luke Poulter got obliterated by six holes against Eric Lee, who was playing like his life was on the line. In just 14 holes, the sophomore from Oklahoma State posted six birdies and an eagle in hole 10. Poulter went bogey free until holes 13 and 14, where it appeared the junior had recognized his fate.
Turner, Poulter and Swanwick will head across the Atlantic Ocean to West Barrow, Ireland, from July 3 to 5 for the Arnold Palmer Cup.
Contact Colby Kistner at ckistner@alligator.org. Follow him on X @colbykistner22.
Colby is a sports journalism senior in his second semester with the Alligator covering golf. He has experience covering Buchholz and Santa Fe High School sports and also worked in UF's innovation center where he wrote and created radio content for WRUF. Furthermore, he is interning at Idaho Education News Center in Boise and is looking to minor in business. In his free time, he watches the Seattle Kraken and the NHL as a whole.
