Junior Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) tied for the lowest round of the day with a 1-under 70 as the sixth-ranked University of Florida men’s golf team secured its eighth straight NCAA Championships appearance with a share of fourth place at the NCAA Central Regional on Saturday at the Ohio State Scarlet Course.

“It wasn’t really pretty but we got it done,” UF head coach Buddy Alexander said. “Obviously, there was a very tough golf course out there today. It was tough day to play and really windy. We were where we needed to be all day long. We get another shot at it. I keep waiting for us to have a big event, so maybe we are saving the best for last.”

The Gators, the regional’s No. 4 seed, shot the second-lowest final round with a 16-over 300 and finished at 42-over 894. No. 28 Louisville also posted a 300 and concluded at 42-over. Florida entered the day in eighth place and jumped four spots on the regional’s final day.

No. 19 Wake Forest completed a wire-to-wire finish with a final-round 302 that put them at 27-over 879. The Demon Deacons won the tournament by 10 shots over No. 6 Oklahoma State, who posted a three-day total of 889 (+37). Illinois was third at 39-over 891.

The top 10 teams on the leaderboard qualified for the NCAA Championships, including No. 1 Alabama, who fell into sixth place following a 25-over 309. The rest of the qualifiers and their place include: 7. Texas A&M (897), 8. Kent State (898), 8. Penn State (898) and 10. Indiana (901).

Several notable teams missed earning a berth to the national tournament. No. 13 Tennessee fell one stroke shy of making the top 10 as the Volunteers finished at 50-over 902, one shot back of Indiana. No. 8 Georgia Tech was denied a bid following a three-day tally of 908 (+56) that left the Yellow Jackets in sole possession of 15th place.

Meanwhile, Florida will be making its eighth straight NCAA Championships appearance and its 25th in the past 26 seasons. The only time the Gators have not reached the national tournament during that stretch was in 2000.

Horschel claimed eighth place with his 70 that put him at 6-over 219. The top 10 finish was his sixth of the season and 22nd of his career, advancing him into a tie for fifth in UF career top-10 finishes with former Gators and PGA Tour players Dudley Hart and Brian Gay.

“Billy stepped up big time for us, which is what All-Americans do,” Alexander said.  “He really carried us through today. It was nice to see Billy bounce back after his finish yesterday that put us in a tough spot.”

Horschel shared the lowest round of the day with Penn State’s Robert Rohanna, who took third. Oklahoma State’s Kevin Tway won the tournament by one shot with a final-round 75. Tway held the second-round lead and finished at 1-over 214.

Horschel’s play was brilliant on a day of the tournament’s toughest scoring conditions. The three-time All-SEC selection carded two birdies and 15 pars through his first 17 holes. He gave a stroke back on the par-4 18th hole with his only bogey but made the climb up the standings from a tie for 37th back into the top 10.

Sophomore Tyson Alexander (Gainesville, Fla.) wrapped up his first NCAA regional start with a tie for 20th place after a final-round 76 (+5). Alexander played his front nine at 2-over and played his final nine holes at 3-over. He rolled in a birdie on the par-4 16th and finished at 11-over 224.

Two other Gators placed in the top 60. Senior Tyler Brown (Jacksonville, Fla.) suffered a tough day with a 9-over 80 that dropped him from a tie for 18th to 52nd. He finished with a three-day tally of 14-over 227. Senior Manuel Villegas (Medellin, Colombia) shot a 7-over 78 that put him at 15-over 228 and a share of 59th place.

Junior Will Strickler (Charlottesville, Va.) posted the second-lowest UF round of the day with a 5-over 76. Strickler entered the day in a tie for 81st but an even-par back nine kept him steady at 16-over 229 and a tie for 65th place.

The Gators compete at the NCAA Championships, May 28-31, at Purdue’s Kampen Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind. Complete tee times will be released at a later date.
 
Final Team Scores

Final Individual Top 10

Final Florida Results