Orlando- The Knights are ready to get back on the course after wrapping up their fall season just under two months ago at the FAU Invitational.
The UCF men’s golf team is set to compete next week at the Sea Best Invitational for the third consecutive year in a row. The team will play the 54-hole event at the Atlantic Beach Country Club starting on Monday, Feb. 2, and finishing on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
FALL SEASON IN REVIEW
The team showcased their skills during their fall season, with the returning players leading the team through the tournaments. The season started at the Sage Run Golf Course, where junior Clemente Silva led the Knights with a steady performance and ended the competition placing 18th overall. The group struggled on the first day but was able to turn it around on day two, placing them in seventh place.
After their first in-season performance, the squad headed over to the Bearcat Invitational, where sophomore Camden Goldknopf presented the only under-par performance in the second round. The black and gold struggled through the first round but were able to pull together a stronger execution in the following rounds to place them in 15th to finish the invitational.
Bouncing back from their week in Ohio, the group traveled to the Ironwood Collegiate Classic, where they have held notable performances in the past. The group’s skills were showcased in the first couple of rounds but shone in the third, where the team secured their second-place accomplishment. Returner Hans Risvaer had an impressive two days of play and was able to finish fourth overall, separating himself in the 84-person event.
Only one week from the squad's runner-up efforts, the Knights continued their fall season at the West Bay Collegiate in Estero, Florida. The group preserved through the first two rounds but were able to jump spots on the leaderboard in the last rounds to secure sixth in the final results. The strongest finisher was Camden Goldknopf, who claimed 13th place after presenting three consecutive under-par rounds.
Closing out the fall season with an impressive score of 143, Hans Risvaer locked in 19th overall while his teammate Camden Goldknopf finished close behind at 25th. The collaborative effort of the squad placed the Knights in a tie for 12th place, with the weather canceling the third round.
LOOKING AHEAD
For their first tournament back, the Knights will head to Atlantic Beach, Florida to compete in the Sea Best Invitational for the third consecutive year. The course is a 54-hole event, with the first 36 holes played on Monday and the last 18 on Tuesday.
The team will go up against 14 other universities, including No. 7 Florida, Texas A&M, and Florida State. The course will be held at the Atlantic Beach Country Club, which will be familiar to the seven returners.
The following week, the black and gold will hit the road to compete in the Vystar Credit Union Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Florida. The schedule, similar to Sea Best, has the team teeing off on Saturday, Feb. 14, to play 36-holes and ending on Sunday, Feb. 15, with the final 18. This will be the team's third time competing.
After a short two-week break, the Knights will head back to North Florida to participate in The Hayt. The contest is three days in Ponte Vedra, Florida, and will be held at the Sawgrass Country Club. The schedule has the squad playing 18-holes each day of the tournament from Saturday, March 7 to Monday, March. 9. The event has been a staple in collegiate golf for over 30 years, hosting teams from all over the nation like No. 4 Auburn, No. 11 Alabama, and No. 24 Duke.
Staying on the road, men’s golf will travel to Greenville, North Carolina, for the ECU Intercollegiate. The program has a vast history with the tournament, the most recent being a title win with every player finishing in the top 20 in 2024. The program recorded 45 birdies over the three rounds, nine more than any other team. They will be returning to the course on Monday, March 16, and Tuesday, March 17.
Following North Carolina, the roster will head west to the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The contest will be March 30-31 and will be a standard 54-hole competition. The group placed second in the tournament in 2025 and seventh in 2024.
To close out the regular season, the Knights will participate in the UNC Collegiate. The event will be Saturday, April 11, to Sunday, April 12, at Finely Golf Club. The club is known for its challenging layout and has hosted NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship Regional competitions in recent years.
The season will culminate at the Big 12 championship from April 27-29 at the renowned Prairie Dunes Country Club. The course has held many championships from collegiate to professional and is known for difficult yet impressive terrain. The club is located in Hutchinson, Kansas, and was originally nine holes before expanding to 18 in later years. The location is a consistent host for the Big 12 and has hosted the event numerous times since 1997, with the 15th being in 2026.
QUALIFYING
Below are the qualifying criteria and selection criteria for those that did and did not qualify, that we used for this tournament. The qualifying requirement for this tournament was four under par for the four rounds of qualifying.
The six coaches' picks are determined by all the data points attached above:
- Hans Risvaer (Coaches Pick)
- Chase Haygood (Coaches Pick)
- Clemente Silva (Coaches Pick)
- Jakub Hejlek (Coaches Pick)
- Palmer Haynes (Coaches Pick)
- Camden Goldknopf (Coaches Pick)