TEE OFF

The No. 4 Florida men’s golf team begins the 2025-26 season this weekend at the Sahalee Players Championship as the Gators tee off 36-holes on day one at 10:03 a.m.

LINEUP

No. 1 – Matthew Kress

No. 2 – Jack Turner

No. 3 – Zack Swanwick

No. 4 – Parker Bell

No. 5 – Parker Sands

Individual – Josh Bai

COMPETING TEAMS (Golf Channel Preseason Top-30)

No. 1 Texas, No. 4 Florida, No. 12 Arizona State, No. 15 Pepperdine, No. 18 North Carolina, No. 19 Arizona, Northwestern, Oregon, San Diego State, UCLA, Washington and U.S. National Developmental Program. 

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

Last year the Gators competed for the first time in the event to start the season and finished runner-up after climbing four spots in the final round behind a team score of 285 (-3) as Jack Turner finished T4. 

PRESEASON PUB

Tagged one of the deepest teams in the country, Florida earned a slew of preseason recognition. 

UF was selected No. 4 by the GCAA Coach’s Poll and Golf Channel while tabbed No. 5 by Golfweek. Additionally, three Gators collected Preseason All-America honors via Luke Poulter (Golf Channel and Golfweek Second Team), Jack Turner (Golf Channel and Golfweek Third Team) and Zack Swanwick (Golf Channel Third Team).

Poulter also was named to The Haskins Award Preseason Watch List entering the 2025-26 season. 

EXPERIENCED LINEUP

Florida returns 4-of-5 from last year’s starting lineup which included a NCAA National Championship Semifinalist appearance, NCAA Regional Title, SEC Championship and five total tournament wins. 

A pair of underclassmen last year in Luke Poulter and Zack Swanwick made their postseason debuts last year and both went 3-0 in match play at the SEC Championship. Poulter was named an All-American by both GCAA BS Golfweek while he earned All-Region honors en route to his first collegiate win at the Schenkel Invitational and placed T4 at the NCAA Bremerton Regional. 

The true freshman, Swanwick was a member of All-SEC Freshman Team and won a crucial point in Florida’s victory over Texas in the NCAA Championship Quarterfinals. He also carded back-to-back rounds of 68 (-2) for a T22 outing at the SEC Championship. 

A rising junior and four-time All-American, Jack Turner enters his third season at UF. He continued momentum from a breakout freshman season that featured a spot on the GCAA All-Freshman Team and had a team-best six top-10s and eight top-25s. He won the match-clinching point in the SEC Championship Semifinals against the No. 1 player in college golf and back-to-back SEC Individual Champion, Jackson Koivun of Auburn, the reigning SEC and NCAA Champions.

The lone member of the 2023 NCAA Championship Team, 5th-year Senior Matthew Kress looks to carry his postseason season success into his final lap. Kress finished T9 (-3) at the NCAA National Championship to earn All-American status and on the NCAA All-Tournament Team as he holed out for eagle on the 18th hole in the final round of stroke play for three straight rounds of under par: 71-69-70. He collected two important points in postseason match play in a 5&4 victory in the SEC Championship Finals and 3&1 win in the NCAA Championship Quarterfinals. 

Finally, UF’s postseason alternate for all three tournaments, Parker Sands enters his second season. 

POULTER ON THE BIG STAGE

While the season tees off this weekend for Florida, Luke Poulter will also be taking part in an event this weekend, at the 50th Walker Cup at Cypress Point. 

Established in 1922, the Walker Cup is a biennial tournament that pits ten male amateurs from the United States against a squad from Great Britain and Ireland. The USGA is responsible for the United States selections, while the R&A chooses the Great Britain and Ireland side. The two competition days feature alternating-shot foursomes in the morning followed by singles matches in the afternoon.

This past season, Poulter had a breakout year being named a two-time All-American and winning his first collegiate title at the Schenkel Invitational with a 54-hole score of 8-under 208. A PING All-Region selection, he had the third-lowest stroke average (71.2) on the team last year with seven of his 10 postseason rounds at par or better, 22 (80%) of his 25 rounds counted and four top-6 outings. 

The rising junior shined in his first postseason experience, highlighted by a 3-0 match play record at the SEC Championship as the Gators claimed their second conference title in three seasons. In 47 holes of match play at the conference tournament, Poulter won 18, tied 23 and only lost six holes. He also finished T4 at 10-under at the NCAA Bremerton Regional, Florida’s fifth tournament title.   

This summer, Poulter helped lead GB&I’s victory over Continent Europe at the St. Andrews Trophy, contributing 31/2 points. He also made it to match play recently at the U.S. Amateur.  

A SEASON AGO

The Gators continued their success once again last season, as a National Championship Semifinalist and SEC Champions, all for the second time in three seasons. UF also won the NCAA Bremerton Regional to conclude a five win campaign along with a pair of medalist honors from Ian Gilligan (6th collegiate win) and Luke Poulter (first collegiate win). Head coach J.C. Deacon also was named the Southeast Coach of the Year. 

Florida won two of the three postseason tournaments (SEC Championship & NCAA Regional) as the last time UF won both a team conference and regional title in the same season was 2011. It was also the fourth time both have been done in a season in program history – 1989 & 1992.

The victory at the regional was second under Deacon with the first being in 2018 for a total five team titles last season. It also marked the 32nd tournament title under him in 11 seasons. This was the third straight season of four-plus wins under Deacon and the seventh season of multiple wins, including the last five consecutive.

In the last four years, Florida has won the NCAA National Team Championship, NCAA Individual Championship, four NCAA Championships appearances, two NCAA Championship Semifinal Appearances, NCAA Regional Team Championship, two SEC Team Championships, three SEC Final Appearances, SEC Individual Championship, 19 tournament titles and 13 individual titles. 

In the final round of stroke play at the national championship, Florida tied for the lowest-round (-8) of the day and second-lowest of the tournament with top-seeded Arizona State (-14). The final round produced a 72-hole score of 9-under 1143, its lowest score by par at the National Championships since 26-under in 2001, when Florida won the team title. The last time UF shot 9-under in a round at nationals was round four in 2006. Both Matthew Kress (T9, -3) and Gilligan (T13, -2) each earned NCAA All-Tournament Team and All-American status with their performances.  

The Gators earned a spot in match play at nationals for the second time in three seasons and defeated No. 6 Texas 3-2 in the quarterfinals after rallying down 2-0 and winning the final three matches. It was Florida’s fourth win in championship match play. 

Florida reached SEC Match Play Finals for the third time overall and in the last four years (2022 & 2023) by defeating the No. 6 ranked Oklahoma Sooners 3-2 in the quarterfinals and the No. 1 seed, No. 2 ranked and the reigning SEC and National Champion Auburn Tigers, 3.5-1.5 in the semifinals. The Gators defeated Texas A&M 4-1 in the finals for the program’s 17th conference title, ranking No. 2 among men’s golf programs. It was also the 10th match play win in the SEC Championship, ranking second-most in the conference behind Vanderbilt’s 13. 

At the NCAA Bremerton Regional, Florida had a final round of 3-under 285 for a 54-hole score of 28-under 836 after a 16-under round two, which was the sixth lowest round by par and lowest at a regional since a 17-under final round in 2018. The final tournament score by par of 28-under is tied for eighth lowest all-time and third-lowest at an NCAA Regional in program history. Florida’s 28-under par was the third-lowest in regional play this year – Auburn 32-under and Florida State 29-under, who both played on their home course.

Defending home turf for the sixth consecutive year, UF swept the 48th Gators Invitational behind Gilligan’s sixth collegiate win, including defeating National Champion Oklahoma State. The victory was the 31st overall and 16th sweep (team and individual title) at the home tournament as Florida had an all-underclassmen lineup competing.  

The second individual title was captured by redshirt-sophomore Luke Poulter at the Schenkel Invitational. He led all three rounds and became the sixth Gator to win the tournament,  joining Andy Bean, Matt Every, Phil Hancock, Steve Scott and Bank Vongvanij.

Heading into postseason play, the Orange and Blue defended its team title at the Calusa Cup behind a final round of 17-under, tied for third all-time in program history by par. The win marked the third consecutive year UF has won the final regular season event (2024 Calusa Cup & 2023 Augusta Hakskins Award Invite). The final round of 271 tied the lowest round by score this season as the -17 was the season-low score by par in a round. Also the final team score of 17-under also set a new tournament record for the Calusa Cup.

NEW GATORS

The Orange and Blue welcomed three new Gators this season in Josh Bai (Auckland, New Zealand) who finished runner-up at the 2023 United States Junior Amateur Championship, Trevor Gutschewski (Omaha, Neb.) the 2025 Western Junior and 2024 United States Junior Amateur Champion and Parker Severs (Lakewood Ranch, Fla) the 2024 Florida State Golf Association Four-Ball Champion.

Also after joining Florida last spring, Iowa transfer Noah Kent is eligible this season to compete after playing in the 2025 U.S. Open and The Masters. The junior added two PGA TOUR events under his belt at the Texas Children’s Houston Open and CJ Cup by Bryon Nelson.  

THE TURN

The Gators head to Olympia Fields for the Fighting Illini Collegiate from Sept. 19-21.