Tag: Sam Horsfield

Florida men’s golf finishes just outside top 10 at NCAA National Championships

It was a good run but the Gators were unable to replicated their title-winning results from last season.

The Florida men’s golf team’s 2024 season came to an end on Monday at the NCAA National Championships held in Carlsbad, California, where it finished 11th.

Florida entered the day in the final match-play spot with a one-stroke advantage but a collapse in the final three holes put them out of reach of the cut line. It was the third straight year that the Orange and Blue made it to the final round of stroke play.

[autotag]John DuBois[/autotag]finished the 2024 campaign with a 1-under 71 for a T23 finish — his second top-23 finish at NCAAs after finishing T18 in 2023. He played in 41 tournaments and 124 rounds for the Gators during the course of his collegiate career.

[autotag]Jack Turner[/autotag] became the sixth Florida freshman to finish top-23 at the NCAAs since 2001, joining ranks of [autotag]Billy Horschel[/autotag], [autotag]Sam Horsfield[/autotag], [autotag]Matt Every[/autotag] and [autotag]Camilo Villegas[/autotag]. He carded a final round of 1-over 73 resulting in a 72-hole score of 3-over 291 and T23 performance.

Florida continued its streak of five straight top-11 finishes after winning the national title: 1974 (2nd); 1994 (3rd); 1969 (T5); 2002 (T11).

“Our entire team has become hard-working, resilient and successful young men,” head coach J.C. Deacon offered after the match.

“They have invested everything into each other and our Florida Gators golf program. That’s all we can ever ask. Sometimes, it just doesn’t work out. Things didn’t go our way down the stretch but we played a lot of great golf this week to be in position with three holes to go.

“We just couldn’t finish it off and I know exactly how hungry that’s going to leave this exciting young team. We will be back.”

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Rory McIlroy shines ‘considering the start,’ leads Sam Horsfield by one at the DP World Tour Championship

Rory McIlroy leads, while eight players sit within three shots.

Before this week in Dubai, the last time we saw Rory McIlroy tee it up was in Vegas for the CJ Cup. He won. This week, he’s just 18 holes away from winning in consecutive starts.

After making double on the par-5 last on Friday, McIlroy opened his Saturday stroll with a bogey. He would bounce back quickly, however, making three birdies before making the turn with a 3-under 33. The four-time major champion would add three more birdies and a bogey to his scorecard coming home for a third-round 5-under 67.

“Thought I did well considering the start. I hit a nice little snap-hook 3-wood off the first tee,” McIlroy said with a smile following a birdie on 18 Saturday. “After the bogey on one, responded well with birdies on two and three.”

The highlight of the Irishman’s round was what he called “a good bogey.”

“I just thought it was important to make birdie at the last, to get into the final group as well. I knew that putt was probably to get into the final group, and I wanted to do that.”

McIlroy has the chance to be the first player to ever win this championship for the third time.

“I’m looking forward to it. I’m right where I want to be, I want to be contending on Sundays in golf tournaments. I feel like I’m back to playing the way I should, and the way that will get me back contending. I’m excited.”

Rory McIlroy poses with the trophies for winning the Race To Dubai and DP World Tour Championship in 2015.

Just one shot back of McIlroy is Sam Horsfield, who admittedly didn’t quite have his A-game on Saturday.

“It was a little sloppy, it wasn’t my best stuff. It was nice to make that eagle on 14, made like a 60 footer across the green, so that was nice,” Horsfield said after his round. “I got a little aggressive on 18 trying to hit driver up there in the narrow part and it bit me in the butt.”

Horsfield will look to win for the third time on the European Tour, and first since August 2020.

Two back of McIlroy sits Alexander Bjork, and Robert MacIntyre. 36-hole leader Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa, John Catlin, and Joachim Hansen sit three back at 11 under.

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Gators News: A roundup of the weekend out on the links

Welcome back from another beautiful weekend here in the Sunshine State and the news from the past couple of days has been mostly focused on a pair of golf tournaments.

Welcome back from another beautiful weekend here in the Sunshine State and the news from the past couple of days has been mostly focused on a pair of golf tournaments. Across the pond, three members of the Gator Nation participated in the prestigious British Open while another handful played closer to home in the Florida Open. Here is a look at the latest from the links.

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Sam Horsfield also tests positive for COVID; WDs from U.S. Open

Sam Horsfield announced he’d be out of the field at Winged Foot Golf Club after testing positive at the U.S. Open testing center.

Another day brought another positive COVID test resulting in a withdrawal from the U.S. Open.

On Sunday, it was Scottie Scheffler, who was asymptomatic, but the star rookie stepped and contender for PGA Tour Rookie of the Year was forced aside after learning of a positive test.

And on Monday, 24-year-old Brit Sam Horsfield announced he’d also be out of the field at Winged Foot Golf Club after testing positive at the U.S. Open testing center.

Horsfield said he had tested negative last Thursday, prior to making the trip to Mamaroneck, N.Y.

Horsfield has played in three previous U.S. Opens, but failed to make the cut in any.

A recent stretch of golf has been his finest, however, as the University of Florida product won a pair of events on the European Tour — the Hero Open and the Celtic Classic — in the month of August.

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Sam Horsfield shoots 61, but Renato Paratore leads by 1 at British Masters

Paratore shoots 66 and remains bogey-free through 54 holes in his bid to win his second European Tour title.

Renato Paratore poured in a birdie putt at the last to shoot 5-under 66 and take a one-stroke lead heading into the final round of the European Tour’s Betfred British Masters.

The 23-year-old Italian turned in a spotless card for the third-straight day at Close House in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. Paratore, seeking his second European Tour title, birdied the par-5 seventh hole for the third straight round and peppered the flag at the par-3 12th hole for another birdie to maintain a one-stroke advantage over Justin Harding.

“I played really solid these three days, especially the short game which has helped me save some shots when I needed them, so I’m happy with that,” Paratore said. “Fortunately I live in Dubai with my friend who is also on the European Tour and we played a lot of competitive rounds with each other after lockdown. I think this helped me to stay competitive.”

The South African Harding eagled the par-5 10th hole en route to matching Paratore’s 66. The low round of the day belonged to England’s Sam Horsfield, who signed for 61. The 23-year-old Horsfield, still searching for his first European Tour victory, was limping along at 2-under par through 36 holes and wasn’t doing much better in the third round. He was just 1 under through his first six holes when he made the first of three eagles on the par 5s.

“I felt like the first two days I was maybe pushing a bit too hard as I haven’t played a tournament in four months,” Horsfield said. “I spoke to a few friends last night, FaceTimed a few people, and they said: ‘Dude just go out there and play like you were playing at home; it’s the same.’ So that’s what I tried to do and I think it worked.”

Horsfield enters the final round trailing by four.

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European Tour’s Sam Horsfield shoots 14-under 59 at Streamsong

European Tour pro Sam Horsfield carded an impressive 14-under 59 at Streamsong this weekend.

Sam Horsfield made golf look really easy this weekend.

The 23-year-old European Tour pro carded an impressive 14-under 59 during a round at Streamsong Resort’s Black Course in Bowling Green, Florida. Horsfield had so much fun on the front nine, making five birdies and an eagle, that he did it again on the back nine. 10 birdies. Two eagles. Six pars.

Not a bad day at the office.

A native of Manchester, England, Horsfield turned pro in 2017 after attending the University of Florida. Before the break in play due to the coronavirus pandemic, Horsfield was top ten on tour in driving distance at 327.57 yards, almost 20 yards longer than the tour average.