UNF's Nick Gabrelcik off to a good start in bid to reach top of PGA Tour University ranking
North Florida senior Nick Gabrelcik keeps gaining points on the PGA Tour University standings but still has some work to do if he wants to threaten No. 1 Michael Thorbjornsen of Stanford and No. 2 Christo Lamprecht of Georgia Tech.
Gabrelcik captured his ninth career individual title last week at the Gator Invitational (adding to his school record), with rounds of 68-65-64--197 to win at 12-under par on the Mark Bostick Golf Course, one shot over teammate Andrew Riley, a Creekside graduate.
Despite three top-10s in a row to start the spring schedule, Gabrelcik is still 238 points behind Lamprecht and 243.85 behind Thorbjornsen. Gabrelcik has gained 26.73 points since the season started.
Gabrelcik has four starts left for the regular season, plus the ASUN tournament and, if the Ospreys win it or qualify as an at-large team, the NCAA regionals and a possible spot in the NCAA Championship May 24-29 at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, Calif.
His UNF teammate and fellow senior, Robbie Higgins, is 37th on this week's standings. Higgins reached as high S 31st after winning the Sea Best Invitational. He started the season 42nd.
After the college season ends at La Costa, the No. 1 player on the PGA Tour University rankings will earn full exemption for the rest of the 2024 Tour season. Players ranked second through 10th will earn Korn Ferry Tour status and will be exempt to the final stage of PGA Tour Q-School and 11 through 25 will get spots on PGA Tour Americas.
The rankings are a compilation of amateur and college events, plus the results of PGA Tour and DP World Tour events if players receive sponsor invitations.
The 2023 No. 1 player, Ludvig Aberg, parlayed his exemption into victories on the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour's RSM Classic at Sea Island. No. 2 Fred Biondi, who won the NCAA individual national championship and helped the Florida Gators win the team title, is fully exempt on the Korn Ferry Tour for the 2024 season.
Bones gets a shot
NBC continues to audition candidates to replace Paul Azinger as its lead golf analyst and sidekick to Dan Hicks.
This week, it's Jim "Bones" Mackay's turn.
Mackay, who caddies for Justin Thomas, has been an on-course reporter for NBC in the past and will be the first caddie to get a shot at the analyst job.
So far this season, NBC has tried Kevin Kisner in two tournaments, Paul McGinley, Curt Byrum and long-time studio analyst Brandel Chamblee.
This week's Mexico Open begins a streak of seven tournaments televised by NBC. The next CBS broadcast will be the Masters — where Verne Lundquist will work for the final time.
Augusta National beefs up second hole
It took some digging into the Masters 2024 media guide when it was sent out on a digital basis earlier this week. But sharp-eyed reporters spotted the only change on the course for this year's tournament: the easiest hole on the golf course has a bit more teeth.
But it won't eat the field alive.
Augusta added 10 yards to the par-5 second hole, making it 585 yards. In addition, the tee has been moved a bit to the left.
The hole played the easiest for the 2023 tournament at 4.367. Historically, it is the second-easiest hole at 4.775, behind the par-5-13th.
Tour, Omni renew agreement
The PGA Tour and Omni Hotels & Resorts have extended their marketing partnership that makes Omni the official hotel and resort of the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions through 2028.
The relationship also has a charitable component. Since it began in 2018, Omni has donated more than 1.28 million meals to families in need through its Say Goodnight to Hunger program, which provides four meals for every birdie-or-better score made during each PGA Tour event.
Omni donates these meals through the local Feeding America member food bank in each tournament’s home city in the United States. The program has already contributed more than 45,000 meals during the 2024 FedExCup Season after donating more than 234,000 in 2023.
PGA TOUR
Event: Mexico Open, Thursday-Sunday, Vidanta Vallarta, Vallarta, Mexico.
At stake: $8.1 million purse ($1,458,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points to the winner.
Defending champion: Tony Finau.
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m.); NBC (Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m.).
Area players entered: Tyson Alexander, Fred Biondi, Patton Kizzire, Philip Knowles, Russell Knox, Keith Mitchell, Raul Pereda, Greyson Sigg, Davis Thompson, Carl Yuan.
Notable: Finau fired weekend rounds of 65-66 and beat Jon Rahm by three shots. ... Pereda, a JU graduate, is making his third start of the season and will be playing in the event in his native country for the second year in a row. Pereda shot 65 in the first round and was in contention until a 76 in the final round. ... Knowles, a UNF graduate, is playing in a medical exemption and making his first Tour start of the season. He tied for 16th in the Korn Ferry Tour’s event in Panama. ... Knox, another JU graduate, is making his first PGA Tour start of the season.
LPGA TOUR
Event: Honda LPGA Thailand, Wednesday-Saturday, Siam Country Club Old Course, Chonburi, Thailand.
At stake: $1.7 million purse ($255,000 to the winner).
Defending champion: Lilia Vu.
TV: Golf Channel (Wednesday-Thursday, 10 p.m.-3 a.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m.)
Area players entered: None.
Notable: Vu shot 64 in the fourth round to beat Natthakritta Vongtaveelap by one shot. ... The next three tournaments will be in Asia. ... All major champions from 2023 are in the field, Vu (Chevron Championship, Women’s Open), Ruoning Yin (Women’s PGA), Celine Boutier (Evian Masters) and Allisen Corpuz (U.S. Women’s Open.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Event: Trophy Hassan II, Thursday-Saturday, Royal Golf De Es Salam, Rabat, Morocco.
At stake: $2 million purse ($360,000 to the winner).
Defending champion: Stephen Ames.
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Saturday, 8-11 a.m.).
Area players entered: David Duval.
Notable: Ames shot 67 in the first round and went on to beat Mark Hensby by five shots for the first of his four 2023 Champions Tour titles. ... Ames won the rain-shortened Chubb Classic in Naples last week. ... Angel Cabrera will play his first event since being released from prison in Brazil.
ROAD TO THE PLAYERS
Dates: March 14-17.
Site: Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach.
Purse: $25 million ($4.5 million and 750 FedEx Cup points to the winner.
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler.
Days until the first round: 21.
Tour events until The Players: Four.
Notable: This will be the 50th Players Championship.
Players trivia: The highest scores on one hole in The Players are 12s by Phil Hanock (No. 4, 1085) and Bob Tway (No. 17, 2005).
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Nick Gabrelcik off to a good start in moving up in PGA Tour University
