{"id":219508,"date":"2026-04-05T11:24:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T11:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/219508\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T11:24:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T11:24:15","slug":"calusa-cup-concludes-regular-season-for-no-3-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/219508\/","title":{"rendered":"Calusa Cup concludes regular season for No. 3 Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Dates:\u00a0Sunday, April 5\u00a0– Tuesday, April 7
Location: Calusa Pines Golf Club – Naples, Fla.
Host:\u00a0University of Iowa
Course Par\/Yardage:\u00a072 \/ 7,398 yards
Format:\u00a018 holes each day\u00a0
Tee Times:\u00a011:20 a.m. on Sunday, 11:45-2:05 p.m. on Monday and 8-9:30 a.m. on Tuesday\u00a0
Scoring:\u00a0Clippd<\/a>
Social Media:Twitter<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

TEE OFF
The No. 3 Florida men’s golf team finishes the regular season at the Calusa Cup, an event the Gators have won the last two years.<\/p>\n

LINE UP
No. 1\u00a0Parker Sands<\/a>
No. 2\u00a0Jack Turner<\/a>
No. 3\u00a0Zack Swanwick<\/a>
No. 4\u00a0Luke Poulter<\/a>
No. 5\u00a0Matthew Kress<\/a><\/p>\n

TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Florida has played in the event four times, winning the last two years, adding to finishes of T2 (2022) and 4th (2021).<\/p>\n

Last year at Calusa, behind a final round of 17-under, tied for third all-time in program history by par, the Gators defended its team title in the regular season finale for the third victory this season. The win marked the third consecutive year UF has won the final regular season event (2024 Calusa Cup & 2023 Augusta Haskins 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. The final team score of 17-under also set a new tournament record for the Calusa Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Florida entered the final round at Calusa Pines Golf Club five shots behind Louisville, who they edged out by one stroke as the Cardinals finished 16-under and a final round of 11-under.The Orange and Blue moved into the lead early in the final round with a 7-under start through holes 2-5 and never looked back, eventually reaching 18-under on one occasion. Florida beat No. 4 LSU by 35 strokes, No. 8 Virginia by 48 strokes and No. 10 UCLA by 17 strokes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

COMPETING TEAMS
Eastern Michigan, No. 3 Florida, Iowa, Louisville, Miami (Ohio), Purdue, USF and No. 2 Virginia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

LAST TIME OUT
Florida men’s golf tied for third at 13-under, just three shots back of the top spot at the Pauma Valley Invitational. UF had a final team round of 280 (-4) to produce a 54-hole score of 839 (-13), which marked their third-lowest score by par this season (-27, -15). The T3 finish is the second this season, adding to four victories and a runner-up at the Fighting Illini Collegiate and 5th\u00a0at Southern Highlands Collegiate.<\/p>\n

Returning from missing the last two tournaments,\u00a0\u00a0Luke Poulter<\/a>\u00a0owned the top finish by a Gator, placing T12\u00a0at 4-under. In six tournaments this season, he has finished top-16 in five and par or better for the tournament overall.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Entering the final round, Florida trailed two shots off the team lead, held by No. 20 Tennessee as No. 15 Georgia Tech was a stroke ahead of the Gators. The Yellow Jackets quickly grabbed the team lead by three shots behind Benjamin Reuter who made eagle on the par5 (568 yards) second then an ace on the par3 (216 yards) third.<\/p>\n

Between holes 3-6 completed, four strokes separated the top-4 teams \u2013 Georgia Tech (-15), Tennessee (-12), Florida (-11) and No. 6 LSU (-11) \u2013 that were paired together for the final 18-holes.<\/p>\n

After each was 1-over through their first nine holes, both\u00a0Josh Bai<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0\u00a0Matthew Kress<\/a>\u00a0finished strong with 2-under back nines for rounds of 70 (-1), which positioned Florida three shots behind the lead with six holes to score. \u00a0Bai logged back-to-back rounds of 70 (-1) in his first start in the lineup as six of his last eight rounds have been par or better. The 1-under round was also Kress’ second of the week.<\/p>\n

The deficit fell back to two shots with three holes remaining, but that was the closest UF got as the Yellow Jackets and Vols tied for the team title.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

FALL RECAP
the Gators also closed the fall season on a strong note. Winning back-to-back tournaments at the Williams Cup and East Lake Cup, adding to a runner-up outing and T3 performance in the weeks prior.<\/p>\n

A 12-shot victory and finish of 15-under highlighted the Williams Cup victory over a group of ranked teams: No. 5 Texas (-3), No. 13 North Carolina (+9), No. 22 Notre Dame (+12), No. 21 Oklahoma (+16), No. 9 Utah (+16) and No. 16 Auburn (+20).\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the East Lake Cup, Florida defeated No. 1 Virginia (Finals) and No. 9 Ole Miss (Semifinals) for the program’s first-ever championship at the prestigious event that features last year’s final-four teams. Senior\u00a0Parker Bell<\/a>\u00a0delivered the winning point with a clutch birdie on the 18th hole over UVA’s Ben James, ranked No. 1 in PGA TOUR University and the No. 2 ranked amateur. The tournament title is the 34th all-time under head coach\u00a0J.C. Deacon<\/a>\u00a0and eighth season of multiple wins, including the last six consecutive.<\/p>\n

PRESEASON PUB
Tagged one of the deepest teams in the country, Florida earned a slew of preseason recognition.\u00a0<\/p>\n

UF was selected No. 4 by the GCAA Coach’s Poll and Golf Channel while tabbed No. 5 by Golfweek.\u00a0Additionally, three Gators collected Preseason All-America honors via\u00a0\u00a0Luke Poulter<\/a>\u00a0(Golf Channel and Golfweek Second Team),\u00a0\u00a0Jack Turner<\/a>\u00a0(Golf Channel and Golfweek Third Team) and\u00a0\u00a0Zack Swanwick<\/a>\u00a0(Golf Channel Third Team). Poulter also was named to The Haskins Award Preseason Watch List entering the 2025-26 season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Senior and last member of the 2023 National Championship squad,\u00a0\u00a0Matthew Kress<\/a>\u00a0began the season at No. 23 in the PGA TOUR U Preseason Rankings, and is currently ranked No. 17.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

EXPERIENCED\u00a0LINEUP
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A pair of underclassmen last year in\u00a0\u00a0Luke Poulter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0\u00a0Zack Swanwick<\/a>\u00a0made 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A rising junior and four-time All-American,\u00a0\u00a0Jack Turner<\/a>\u00a0enters 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\u00a0Koivun\u00a0of Auburn, the reigning SEC and NCAA Champions.<\/p>\n

The lone member of the 2023 NCAA Championship Team, 5th-year Senior\u00a0\u00a0Matthew Kress<\/a>\u00a0looks 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Finally, UF’s postseason alternate for all three tournaments,\u00a0\u00a0Parker Sands<\/a>\u00a0enters his second season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A SEASON AGO
The Gators continued their success once again last season, as a National Championship Semifinalist and SEC Champions, all\u00a0for the second time in three seasons. UF\u00a0also won the NCAA Bremerton Regional to conclude a five win campaign along with a pair of medalist honors from\u00a0Ian Gilligan<\/a>\u00a0(6th collegiate win) and\u00a0\u00a0Luke Poulter<\/a>\u00a0(first collegiate win). Head coach\u00a0J.C. Deacon<\/a>\u00a0also was named the Southeast Coach of the Year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0Matthew Kress<\/a>\u00a0(T9, -3) and Gilligan (T13, -2) each earned NCAA All-Tournament Team and All-American status with their performances.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0Florida 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\u00a010th match play win in the SEC Championship, ranking second-most in the conference behind Vanderbilt’s 13.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The second individual title was captured by redshirt-sophomore\u00a0\u00a0Luke Poulter<\/a>\u00a0at the Schenkel Invitational. He led all three rounds and became the sixth Gator to win the tournament,\u00a0\u00a0joining Andy Bean, Matt Every, Phil Hancock, Steve Scott and Bank Vongvanij.<\/p>\n

Heading into postseason play, the Orange and Blue defended its team title at the\u00a0Calusa\u00a0Cup 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\u00a0Calusa\u00a0Cup & 2023 Augusta Haskins 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\u00a0Calusa\u00a0Cup.<\/p>\n

NEW GATORS
The Orange and Blue welcomed three new Gators this season in\u00a0Josh Bai<\/a>\u00a0(Auckland, New Zealand) who finished runner-up at the 2023 United States\u00a0Junior Amateur Championship,\u00a0Trevor Gutschewski<\/a>\u00a0(Omaha, Neb.) the 2025 Western Junior and 2024 United States Junior Amateur Champion and\u00a0Parker Severs<\/a>\u00a0(Lakewood Ranch, Fla) the 2024 Florida State Golf Association Four-Ball Champion.<\/p>\n

Also after joining Florida last spring, Iowa transfer\u00a0Noah Kent<\/a>\u00a0is 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

THE TURN
The Gators finish the regular season at the Calusa Cup (April 5-7) and then begin the postseason at the SEC Championship from April 22-26 at Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Ga.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Following the conference clash, Florida begins NCAA Regionals from May 18-20 as they will find their regional selection on May 6th at 2 p.m. live on Golf Channel. The six predetermined regional sites are:<\/p>\n

Athens, Georgia | University of Georgia Golf CourseBermuda Run, North Carolina | Bermuda Run Country ClubBryan, Texas | Traditions ClubColumbus, Ohio | OSU Golf ClubCorvallis, Oregon | Trysting Tree Golf ClubMaricopa, Arizona | Chin Southern Dunes