ORLANDO – The UCF men's golf season is finally right around the corner and after a strong showing in 2019-20 that included wins at the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational and the Hartford Hawks Invitational, as well as two other top-5 finishes, head coach Bryce Wallor and his squad will look to build upon their success this year as they play another tough schedule of opponents in the spring.
"Our schedule is stacked this semester," said head coach Bryce Wallor. "Our first event starts with Oklahoma State who is a contender for the national championship every year.
"The University of Florida, Florida State, each event that we have on the schedule this year has national acclaim to it."
During the spring, UCF will compete in five tournaments before the American Athletic Conference Championship, with three of the five tournaments taking place in the state of Florida, while they will also be making trips to Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Augusta, Ga.
The Knights will kick off their season at the Timuquana Invitational on Jan. 25 in Jacksonville, Fla.
"The biggest thing for our athletes is to realize that this is a day-to-day process. Every day counts. Every day is important. The next tournament is always the most important one. Let's keep our eye on the day we are on and just do the best we can."
ROSTER PREVIEW
The Knights will be returning their full roster from last spring, as well as some exciting new additions highlighted by transfers Max O'Hagan and Paul Swindell, among others.
Every one of the sophomores on the year's squad saw action as freshman in 2019-20 in at least five tournaments. Both Juan Delgado and Jordan Sarhaddi each posted multiple rounds in the 60's throughout the season, while Guillermo Estivill also enjoyed a nice rookie campaign with two top-25 finishes. Sarhaddi posted the top finish of the season among all 2019-20 freshman as he shot 210(-6) to finish tied for sixth at the Hartford Hawks Invitational in September 2019.
This year's junior class is just as strong for the Knights, consisting of Johnny Travale, Clement Charmasson and Teddy Tetak. Charmasson and Travale played in all seven contests for the Knights in 2019-20 while Tetak saw action in six tournaments.
Travale led the squad with an average stroke total of 71.86. Both he and Charmasson posted the lowest round of the season among all Knights with a 64-stroke total. Travale also earned the lone individual win for the Knights in 2019-20 with a first-place finish at Tavistock. In total, he had four top-10 finishes in 2019-20.
With such a young core, and with a nice new influx of experienced golfers, the Knights are primed for continued growth and success in 2020-21.
Check out the full UCF Men's Golf roster here.
2019-20 SUCCESS
After a 2018-19 season that saw UCF claim two first place victories and finish second in two more tournaments, the Knights came back just as strong in 2019-20, claiming two more first place finishes in the fall and finishing in the top five in four of seven tournaments throughout the season.
UCF began the year on a roll, shooting five under par to finish tied for third in its opening tournament of the season before claiming first place at the Hartford Hawks Invitational. From there, the Knights kept the momentum rolling as they tied for fifth place at the Jackrabbit Invitational before securing one of the most important wins in program history with a first-place finish at the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational.
The Knights' strong fall was followed up with just two spring tournaments as the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The stoppage of play was rolled into this past fall, and the Knights will finally have the chance to hit the course again this spring.
The Knights' crowning achievement from the 2019-20 campaign was winning it all at their prestigious home tournament: The Tavistock Collegiate Invitational.
The UCF Men's Golf team shot 844(-20) to win first place at Tavistock after three hard fought rounds of golf, beginning on Sunday, October 20, and concluding on Tuesday, October 22 at Isleworth Golf and Country Club in Windermere, Fla. The victory marked the first for the Knights at Tavistock.
The Knights' 54-hole total was 14 shots lower than the next best school, LSU, who shot 858(-6) in the three rounds of play. UCF's victory came at the expense of some of the top ranked programs in the nation, including then No. 4 Texas Tech, No. 7 Arizona State and No. 18 Texas just to name a few.
Johnny Travale led the charge for the Knights at Tavistock, earning the top individual spot at the tournament with a 204(-12) total, beating out 74 of some of the best collegiate golfers in the world. His 204-shot total stands as the fifth best 54-hole mark in program history.
You can view the full leaderboard from the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational here.
Following the win at Tavistock, the Knights were ranked as high as No. 16 in the GolfStat.com Poll in late October.
UP NEXT
The Knights 2021 slate features five regular season tournaments and the American Athletic Conference Championship.
UCF will kick off its season at the Timuquana Invitational on Jan. 25 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Three of the Knights' five tournaments will be held in the state of Florida, with the other two taking place in the southeast region of the United States in Ga. and S.C.
"With regard to our 2021 tournament schedule, we tried to make sure that our student-athletes had the best opportunity to participate in top-ranked collegiate events this spring," said Wallor. "In regard to the quality of each tournament field, we also wanted to ensure that our players would play on some of the most challenging golf course venues that were available in the southeast.
"We also made a decision to play more of regional schedule this semester due to the pandemic. In making this decision to play regionally, we can drive to each event with the commitment of trying to keep our student-athletes in the safest travel environment possible."
To view the full 2020-21 schedule, click here.
If the Knights play well enough in the spring, they can earn a spot to play in the NCAA Southeast Regional, held in Tallahassee, Fla. from May 17-19, with the hope to advance to the NCAA Championship from there. UCF has made it to the NCAA Championship nine times in its history, most recently in the 2017-18 season. This year, the NCAA Championship is scheduled for May 28 - June 2 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
"I am just really excited to be back out here, to be going with the guys again and hopefully have a really great semester," said Sarhaddi.
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Follow UCF Men's Golf on social media on Facebook (UCFMensGolf), Twitter (@UCF_Golf) and Instagram (@UCF.MGolf).
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