Oct. 20.
That was the day after Florida’s fall finale at Iselworth. The Gators had tied for fifth, disappointingly their best finish in four events; they had also shared eighth at Olympia Fields, finished solo 12th at Colonial and gone 1-4 at the SEC Match Play. That prompted head coach J.C. Deacon and assistant Dudley Hart to challenge their players this winter, changing things up to get them out of their comfort zones and encouraging them to get in the dirt and find whatever would make them better.
That included junior standout Ricky Castillo, a Walker Cupper and past Phil Mickelson Award winner who had yet to finish better than T-39 this season.