Florida men’s golf finished in a tie for fifth at the Fighting Illini Collegiate. The No. 1 Gators struggled through the first two rounds but had an incredible finish in the third, shooting 14-under — the lowest of the day at Olympia Fields County Club.
The finish was a disappointment for the Gators. Florida was topped by Oklahoma State, Alabama, Texas Tech, Illinois and Arizona State. On the bright side, Florida only got better as the competition progressed. The Gators carded a minus-6 and minus-7 in the first two rounds, respectively, and finally posted a minus-14 to bring some confidence for Florida entering its next event.
Sophomore Josh Bai carried the torch for Florida, finishing in a tie for sixth and shooting 10-under through 54 holes. Bai was a large factor in the Gators’ electric finish, shooting a bogey-free, 6-under third round. This is only the second appearance in the lineup for the New Zealand native, but he set career lows in round score (64) and 54-hole score (200).
Aside from Bai, Luke Poulter had the second-best showing for Florida, going minus-8 in the tournament and finishing in a tie for 14th. The senior’s 202-stroke finish was his best 54-hole score of his collegiate career, beating his score of 204 in the 2026 SEC championship.
The course could’ve used a few extra bunkers or tight fairways, because 14 out of 15 teams shot under par. The field averaged a 68.87 on the par-70 course and 13 teams finished at least double digits under par. Arizona State captured the team title with a shocking 40-under. The Gators were 13 strokes back from ASU, ending at 27-under.
UF’s Parker Sands and Trevor Gutschewski, who played as an individual, both tied for 44th in the individual rankings. Zach Swanwick shot even in a tie for 57th and Jack Turner shockingly finished in last place (81st) after not playing the third round.
Florida will get a prolonged break from the course, returning to action at the Hamptons Intercollegiate Oct. 5 at Maidstone Club in East Hampton, New York. This will be the first-ever appearance for Florida at the tournament and is the second-to-last event of the fall season for the Gators.
Contact Bob Sager at bsager@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @bobsager808.
