The Florida men’s golf team was named the No. 1 seed for the NCAA Columbus Regional, according to a May 6 announcement by the NCAA in conjunction with Golf Channel. This marks the fifth time and first since 2017 that Florida has earned a top seed at regionals.
Both of Florida’s golf programs secured No. 1 seeds for regionals for only the second time in program history, with the first instance occurring in 2017. The Gators are one of three schools, along with Arkansas and Texas, to have both men’s and women’s teams as top seeds this year.
The regional tournament is scheduled to begin on Monday, May 18 at OSU Golf Club (Scarlet Course) in Columbus, Ohio. The event will feature a field of 13 teams competing over three days and 54 holes. At its conclusion, the top five teams as well as the lowest-scoring individual not on an advancing team will qualify for the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California from May 29 to June 3.
Under head coach J.C. Deacon, Florida has been a top-3 seed in regionals six consecutive years and eight times overall during his tenure. In total regional appearances under Deacon’s leadership, Florida has achieved a top-3 seed nine times and advanced to postseason play five straight seasons and eight out of ten times.
This is only the second appearance by Florida at the Columbus Regional; their previous showing was in 2008 when they finished tied for fourth place as a four-seed to advance further into postseason play. Overall, Florida has qualified for all but one of the all-time men’s golf regionals—36 out of a possible 37—and every year under Deacon’s direction.
The Gators recently set program records during postseason play with a runner-up finish at the SEC Championship that included their lowest-ever tournament score (807) and best par performance (-33). Individually this season, one player led with team-bests across several categories including stroke average (70.8), birdies (104), under-par rounds (7), and clinched key points during match play rounds.
