The Gators had a team score of 279 (-1) to produce a 36-hole score of 554 (-6) on Thursday. Auburn and LSU are tied for the lead at 534 (-26) followed by Oklahoma in third at 542 (-18), fourth-place Texas A&M with 545 (-15) and fifth-place Georgia at 553 (-7). 

Florida tees off the final round of stroke play tomorrow at 8 a.m. off hole 10, paired with the Aggies and Georgia Bulldogs. 

Following 54-holes of stroke play, the top-8 teams advance to match play beginning on Saturday with the quarterfinals and semifinals followed by the finals on Sunday at 8 a.m. live on SEC Network. Across the last four seasons, the match play cut score or 8th place score has improved every season as in 2021 it was +16, 2022 at +4, 2023 with +1 and last season (2024) at 2-under. 

Entering tomorrow’s final round of stroke play, seven teams will compete for the final four advancing spots as the biggest difference is Georgia (-7) and Texas (+1) as the Longhorns had a 5-under day two to move up three spots. Currently Mississippi State and South Carolina are tied for 7th, controlling the cut line at -5 as rest of the teams scheduled to battle for the final match play spots, include Alabama (-1) and Arkansas (-1). 

Florida looks to reach the match play for the fourth consecutive year and sixth time overall since the format was added (no tourney in 2020). In the five match play berths, the Gators have reached the semifinals four times and finals twice.  

Starting the day for the Orange and Blue, Freshman Zack Swanwick and Junior Matthew Kress both made birdie on their second hole of the day, the par 4 11th (UF teed off the back nine). Kress nearly made back-to-back but his birdie putt from 20-plus feet just missed.

After opening with a bogey-free 4-under, his second career 66 at the SEC Championship, Ian Gilligan knocked his first of three birdies today on his second hole and Florida moved to 7-under in 5th. He finished with a 71 (+1) and is tied 19th and 3-under overall. 

Starting to reach the turn, Florida was tied for 6th and four shots ahead of the match play cut. At 4-7 holes completed, UF fell to 7th at 5-under and three ahead of the cut. 

The first Gator to make the turn, Swanwick finished his first nine 1-under and then made his fourth birdie of the day to start the next nine and put UF 6-under in 6th. He shot a bogey-free front nine, turning in a round of 2-under 68. The freshman moved up 12 spots on the leaderboard and is tied for 28th. Swanwick is tied for third-best in par5 scoring at 4.50 (-2) at Sea Island. 

Once all five UF golfers made the turn, Florida was 7-under in 6th behind Gilligan’s birdie on 18 to be three shots ahead of the match play cut line. 

Nearing the completion of day two with 18 holes left to score among the lineup, Florida was tied for 5th with Mississippi State at 7-under thanks to a birdie on four by Gilligan, which has had the second-fewest birdies (14) and playing the third-hardest (4.19/+0.19) hole at the Sea Side course. Through his 36-holes, he has made 25 pars and seven birdies while having an average of 3.88 (-3) in par4 scoring.  

Turner sent Florida ahead of Mississippi State with his second consecutive birdie on the par3 sixth. Has made two of the 15 total birdies throughout the field at the hole and was only one of six to accomplish it today, which was the second-lowest birdied hole. Turner collected back-to-back rounds under par with 2-under 68 and is 3-under through 36-holes in T19 with Gilligan. In Turner’s five rounds at the SEC Championships, four have been under par and has a total par mark of 9-under across 90 holes.

However the Gators had to count a late double bogey with 11 holes left, which put them into a four-way tie for 5th at 5-under. Kress rebounded from the double and made birdie on his final hole to put Florida in 6th at 6-under, a spot they held to finish the round. He logged a round two of 72 (+2) and is T42. 

Today’s non-counting score was from Luke Poulter with a 76 (+6).