PONTE VEDRA, Florida - Coming off a 12th-place finish at the Gators Invitational in Gainesville, the UCF men’s golf team faces one of its toughest tests of the spring this weekend at The Hayt Invitational in Ponte Vedra Beach.
The three-day tournament, running from Saturday, March 7, through Monday, March 9, features a loaded field with eight nationally ranked teams, including No. 1 Virginia and No. 2 Auburn. For the Knights, it presents an opportunity to measure themselves against some of the nation’s elite programs.
The tournament will be played at Sawgrass Country Club, a par-72 course stretching 6,966 yards. The Sawgrass Oceanside Course gained national recognition as the home of the PGA Tour’s Tournament Players Championship from 1977 to 1981, hosting some of the greatest players in golf history, including Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Ray Floyd.
The event follows a standard collegiate format of 54 holes of stroke play, with teams playing 18 holes each day. The lowest four scores from each five-man lineup count toward the team total in every round.
Senior Chase Haygood enters the tournament at the peak of the strongest season of his collegiate career. Haygood currently shares the team’s best scoring average with junior Hans Risvaer at 71.5 through 19 rounds this season. His biggest moment came just two tournaments ago at the SeaBest Invitational in Jacksonville, where he captured first-place honors.
Risvaer has also delivered consistent performances throughout the year. His best finish came at the Ironwood Classic in Greenville, where he placed fourth.
Clemente Silva has been another steady contributor, appearing in all seven tournaments this season. The junior has recorded multiple strong finishes, including a 10th-place showing at the SeaBest Invitational that helped UCF secure a fourth-place team finish.
The Knights last competed at The Hayt in 2024, finishing 13th overall. UCF opened the tournament strong, sitting tied for eighth after the first round before slipping down the leaderboard over the final two days. Haygood recorded the team’s best individual finish that year at nine-over par.
QUALIFYING
The qualifying requirement for this tournament was four under par for the four rounds of qualifying. The five coaches' picks are determined by all the data points attached below.
The lineup will be as listed below:
Hans Risvaer (Coaches' Pick)
Chase Haygood (Coaches' Pick)
Clemente Silva (Coaches' Pick)
Lucas Dutartre (Coaches' Pick)
Jakub Hejlek (Coaches' Pick)
ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com