PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - North Florida men's golf finished off another successful home meet with a runner-up team finish in the final round of The Hayt at Sawgrass Country Club on Monday afternoon.
The Ospreys finished at 12-under as a team and were one of only two teams in the entire field to complete the extended weekend under par. They placed ahead of No. 17 Alabama and No. 39 Arkansas, as well as a trio of ASUN opponents in FGCU, Jacksonville State and Jacksonville.
Nick Gabrelcik earned runner-up at the event to mark his third top-two finish at The Hayt after holding medalist crown honors in both his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Robbie Higgins also repeated a successful performance on his home course with his second consecutive top-five finish after placing third in 2022.
COURSE REPORT
Sawgrass Country Club (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.)
Par 72 | 6,966 Yards
Monday, Feb. 6 | 18 holes
RESULTS: Golfstat Live Stats Link
SCORECARD (Osprey lineup)
2 - North Florida | 12-under 836 (288-277-279)
2.
Nick Gabrelcik | 8-under 208 (72-66-70)
T4.
Robbie Higgins | 5-under 211 (71-70-70)
T11.
Davis Lee | 2-under 214 (74-69-71)
T46.
Cooper Smith | 8-over 224 (76-72-76)
T59.
Cody Carroll | 11-over 227 (71-78-78)
T8.
Justin Ross (Ind.) | 3-under 213 (72-71-70)
T33.
Grant Sutliff (Ind.) | 5-over 221 (69-77-75)
T41.
Jason Duff (Ind.) | 7-over 223 (71-73-79)
T59.
Lance Yates (Ind.) | 11-over 227 (76-79-72)
T63.
Alejandro Ramos (Ind.) | 12-over 228 (77-76-75)
TEAM STANDINGS: 14 Teams
Vanderbilt (28-under),
North Florida (12-under), FGCU (5-over), Alabama (6-over), Coastal Carolina (9-over), UCF (10-over), Chattanooga (14-over), Furman (17-over), Louisiana Tech (17-over), North Texas (22-over), UAB (22-over), Arkansas (23-over), Jacksonville State (42-over), Jacksonville (49-over)
ROUND REFLECTIONS
- Gabrelcik repeated with six birdies once again in the final round to card 2-under 70, which put him with a final score of 8-under 208 combined.
- He has now won or placed as the runner-up in five of the six collegiate meets located in Ponte Vedra Beach.
- Robbie Higgins had a rough start over the first three holes, but scored 6-under with six birdies over the remaining 15 holes to finish with 2-under 70 on the day and 5-under 211 combined.
- He goes back-to-back seasons placing among the top five individuals at The Hayt, as he was tied for fourth.
- Davis Lee had another solid day with four birdies to go 1-under 71 during Monday's round.
- His two consecutive round under par helped the senior achieve a share of 11th overall at 2-under 214 combined.
- Cooper Smith made it inside the top 50 individuals at 11-over 224 combined, while Cody Carroll wrapped up the event at 11-over 227 in his final home tournament of his five-year career.
- Justin Ross, Jason Duff, Grant Sutliff, Alejandro Ramos and Lance Yates continued playing as unattached individuals.
- Ross had an outstanding collegiate debut sharing eighth overall at 3-under 213 in the prestigious meet.
- Sutliff made waves in his season debut tying for 33rd overall at 5-over 221.
- Duff was right behind Sutliff just outside the top 40 individuals with 7-over 223.
- Yates had his best round of the tournament with even-par 72 to finish at 11-over 227 combined.
- Ramos also finished his Osprey debut at 12-over 228 to round out the individuals for UNF.
- The Ospreys were one of two teams with two players in the top five, as well as one of two teams with three players in the top 11.
- UNF completed the tourney with the second-best par-four average (7-over) and the second-most birdies (56).
- Gabrelcik led the team in pars with 36 total, while Ross joined the junior with the most birdies on the squad as well with 13 total.
- Yates had the second-best par-three average at 2-under and Higgins was in the top 10 at even-par.
- Higgins also led the field with the best par-five average at 8-under through all three rounds.
- Gabrelcik was also the second-best in par-four average at 5-under, while Lee and Ross were right behind at 3-under in the top five.
CLUBHOUSE CHATTER
UP NEXT
North Florida will play its third straight tournament weekend inside their home state when they take on the Gator Invitational hosted by Florida from Feb. 11-12 at The Mark Bostick Golf Course.
