GAINESVILLE — On a picture-perfect day at Mark Bostick Golf Course, the Florida Gators are putting in the work. Jack Turner fine-tunes his distances under the watchful eye of coach JC Deacon, while just a gap wedge away, Paula Francisco works on her pitch shots with coach Emily Glaser looking on. Across the practice area, teammates are scattered, each dialing in their game and pushing one another to new heights.
That shared drive has paid off in a big way. This season, Florida's men's and women's golf teams have each notched five tournament wins, climbed into the top three in the national rankings, and earned simultaneous No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017. It's a powerhouse moment for a program that's building something special.
The women's team, ranked No. 3, heads to the Tallahassee Regional on Monday, while the men, sitting at No. 2, open NCAA play next week in Columbus, Ohio. The top five finishers from each of six regionals will punch their tickets to the NCAA Championships later this month.
"It's awesome," Francisco said. "Both of us have been ambitious and wanting to succeed, and achieve some great things. You see it in the work. No one is talking and just hanging out. Everyone is here at the course working for something."
That work ethic has both teams poised for deep postseason runs, especially after coming so close to SEC glory. Francisco became Florida's first individual champion since 2016, but the Gators fell to Auburn in the SEC match play semifinals. The men's team, looking to repeat as SEC champions, saw their title hopes end with a loss to Ole Miss in the finals.
Still, the success of Deacon's program—which brought home conference and national titles in 2023—has been a powerful motivator for Glaser's squad.
"It's been fun to watch them," Glaser said. "I'm sure that makes our athletes motivated—they see what's possible. We're two separate programs, so we have to focus on our needs and what it requires to be an elite team. But I do think having success leads to future success, and that kind of permeates through the building."
Glaser, now in her 14th season, and Deacon have had offices just a bump-and-run away from each other since he arrived in 2014. Together, their programs have combined for 78 wins—41 for Glaser and 37 for Deacon—and the best may still be ahead.