No. 10 Florida men’s golf closed out its fall season with a 17-stroke victory at the Williams Cup in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Gators wrapped up the 54-hole tournament Tuesday at Eagle Point Golf Club, finishing 19-under and securing their second consecutive win at the tournament. 

Florida took down ranked programs like Auburn, UNLV, Arizona State, Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Notre Dame in the event. It has now won 25 tournaments in the last five seasons, earning a 46.3% winning percentage. 

The Gators had the best finish in every round except the final 18 holes, where Auburn scored a minus-7 and the Gators followed with a minus-6. The first day of the tournament set the Gators apart, where they amassed a 13-shot lead over Auburn. The Tigers were the only other team to finish under par at minus-2 through 54. 

In 2025, five Gators finished in the top-17 at the Williams Cup. On Tuesday, that trend continued. 

Jack Turner secured a runner-up finish with a minus-7. It was the fourth second-place finish of his career. After a seventh-place finish to open the fall season, the senior had an impressive October with a third-place finish at the Hamptons Intercollegiate and runner-up finish at Eagle Point. 

His efforts earned head coach J.C. Deacon his 40th tournament win, placing him two wins behind Buster Bishop, who won national championships with Florida in 1968 and 1973. This is Deacon’s ninth season with multiple wins under his belt. 

Luke Poulter was close behind Turner after he notched his best performance of the season and placed third at 4-under. Poulter had a tournament-high 42 pars with eight birdies. In the first round, Poulter broke 70 with a 69, going bogey-free. In Round 3, Poulter had his second under-par round with a minus-2. 

Parker Sands also scored a 69, scoring four birdies in Round 3, but ended the tournament even and tied for 12th place. The last two Gators finished over par but recorded top-20 placements on the individual leaderboard. Josh Bai ended at plus-1 and tied for 17th, his third top-17 finish this season. Two spots under him, Trevor Gutschewski came in at plus-2, his second top-17 finish this fall. 

Playing as an individual, Zack Swanwick notched a plus-10, tying for 59th. 

Florida will get the rest of the semester and winter break off before returning Jan. 25 at North Ranch Country Club for the Southwestern Invitational. The tournament is the first of five before the SEC and NCAA championships. 

Contact Bob Sager at bsager@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @bobsager808.

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