Gators in the U.S. Open: Who’s Headed to Pinehurst, Who Fell Short

By Alexander Vafeas, Sports@CJC

The final round of qualifying for the U.S. Open is officially over and more than 150 golfers are headed to Pinehurst, North Carolina for the 2024 Open. Sectional qualifiers featured eight current and former Gator golfers, who attempted to get into the field via four different qualifiers nationwide. 

Out of the Gator golf alums who tried to make the U.S Open either through their PGA Tour exempt status or through qualifiers, only two managed to earn a spot at Pinehurst. 

Billy Horschel: Horschel is in the midst of a resurgent season on the PGA Tour, as the former Gator gears up for his 11th career U.S. Open appearance. “Billy Ho,” as he is often called by fans, entered the 2024 PGA season coming off a disappointing 2023 campaign, one in which he finished the year 90th in the FedEx Cup standings. Just a few short months later, Horschel sits at No. 42 and has four top-10 finishes and a win at the Puntacana Corales Championship this season. 

Horschel qualified for the U.S. Open by virtue of being five highest-ranked players in FedEx Cup points who had not earned a spot in the Open as of May 20.

Parker Bell: Bell, a sophomore on Florida’s golf team, qualified in the Dallas, Texas, final-round qualifier on May 20. Bell shot 3-under in the 36-hole qualifier to earn a spot in a seven-man playoff, where he was among the group that beat out 11-time PGA Tour winner Sergio Garcia to go to Pinehurst. (Garcia has since gotten a spot in the field as an alternate).

A native of Tallahassee, Florida, Bell grew up a Seminoles fan, but ended up committing to the University of Florida to play for head coach J.C. Deacon. 

Bell was has been a staple in Florida’s lineup this season, notching four top-10 finishes this spring. He was in the Gators’ lineup, appearning in 11 out of 14 possible tournaments. Bell helped lead UF back to the national-championship round, where the Gators finished 11th.

Officially U.S. Open Week ⛳️

Good luck to our Gator duo 🤝#GoGators 🐊 | @usopengolf pic.twitter.com/YRYtKzlSTD

— Gators Golf (@GatorsGolf) June 10, 2024

Non-qualifiers

Seven other Gators fell short of qualifying for the U.S. Open, including a PGA Tour pro and a current member of Florida’s golf team.

Tyson Alexander, who played at UF from 2006-09, missed the cut in Dallas after withdrawing during his second round. Alexander shot an even-par 70 in Round 1.

Alexander has had a solid year on Tour, making eight cuts and notching two top-25 finishes. While at UF, Alexander competed in 28 tournaments. The Gainesville native also finished his collegiate career with five top 10s. Alexander previously has played in two U.S. Opens, with the most recent being in 2017 (missed cut). 

Ricky Castillo attempted to qualify in Durham, North Carolina, where he missed the cut by just two strokes. The Korn Ferry Tour member shot rounds of 69 and 70 to finish at 1-under.

While with the Gators, Castillo was an integral part of the 2023 national-title team, appearing in every lineup and going 2-0-1 in NCAA championship match play and the SEC Championship. Castillo was a two-time All-American and a four- time Ping All-Region team selection while at Florida.  

Since leaving UF, Castillo has started to make a name for himself on the Korn Ferry Tour. The first-year pro sits at No. 22 in the Korn Ferry standings and is in the midst of an impressive season that includes 3 top 10s and 10-of-12 cuts made. He also won his first Korn Ferry event as a professional last year at the Kansas Wichita Open, shooting 19-under for the tournament before beating out two other golfers in a playoff. 

Three Gators tried to qualify at The Bear’s Club in Jupiter, Florida: Chris Nido, Fred Biondi and Brett Stegmaier. 

Nido played the best of the bunch, coming in at 1-under through 36 and falling just two strokes shy of the playoff. Nido has played in one PGA Tour event this season, coming in 49th at the Puerto Rican Open in March. 

During his senior season at Florida, Nido was in the lineup six times and recorded a scoring average of 73.78 per round. 

Biondi finished at 5-over for the day, recording rounds of 74 and 75. The 2023 individual national champion has been a consistent presence on the Korn Ferry Tour this season, playing in nine events and sitting at No. 77 in the points list. Biondi has also started four PGA Tour tournaments this season, making the cut twice. His best finish came at the Valspar Championship, where he finished 26th. 

While with the Gators, Biondi was a two-time All-American, four-time SEC Golfer of the week and an individual and helped the Gators win the program’s fifth team national championship. Biondi won five tournaments as a Gator, including the Calusa Cup and the Sea Best Invitational. 

Stegmaier withdrew from the qualifier after 16 holes. The 40-year-old golfer from Madison, Connecticut, spent three seasons on the PGA Tour from 2015-18, but he has played sporadically in the years he hasn’t been a Tour card holder. 

Stegmaier played in 50 tournaments while at Florida and was a two-time SEC champion (2003, ’06). He was also a three-time All-American, earning second-team honors once and honorable mention twice. 

Ian Gilligan, a junior on Florida’s golf team, shot 3-over in Rockville, Maryland, and missed the cut. 

Gilligan has been a staple on the Gators’ roster this season, making the lineup for all 14 contests after transferring from Long Beach State last summer. Gilligan won the Southern Highlands on Feb. 27 to earn an exemption to the PGA Tour’s Shriners Open. 

Ryan Celano finished 8-over in Durham after shooting an 80 in Round 1 before bouncing back to shoot a 70 in his second round. Celano played in one PGA Tour event this season, when he was cut at the Corales Puntacana Championship. 

Celano did not play much at Florida, only seeing action in three tournaments his senior season. Celano was a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll spanning from 2015-17. 

Finally, Camilo Villegas, a member of the 2001 UF national title-winning team who has five career PGA Tour victories, was set to play in the qualifier in Canada, but withdrew shortly before the start of the tournament. Villegas’ top finish in the U.S. Open was a T9 in 2008.

Posted: June 10, 2024
Category: Covering the U.S. Open
Tagged as: 2024 U.S. Open, Covering the U.S. Open