Gator Country

University of Florida sophomore golfer Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) has been named the 2007 SEC Player of the Year, the league office announced Monday. The honor also brings Horschel his second career first-team All-SEC selection.

Horschel is the fourth player in school history garner conference player of the year accolades, joining former UF greats Chris DiMarco (1990), Steve Scott (1999) and Camilo Villegas (2002, 2004). When combined with Villegas’ two trophies, Horschel’s honor keeps the SEC Player of the Year title in Gainesville for the third time in the last six years. His inclusion on the All-SEC first team marks the 24th-consecutive season in which a Gator has earned the honor, and stands as the 36th first-team All-SEC selection in head coach Buddy Alexander’s tenure.

Recently named to the United States Palmer Cup roster and selected as a Ben Hogan Award semifinalist, Horschel leads the Gators with a 72.03 stroke average that currently ranks as the fourth-best sophomore scoring clip in Florida history. In addition to winning the individual medal at the PING/Golfweek Preview Invitational, he recorded two top-fives, three top-10s and a 3 top-20s during his banner sophomore campaign. Just shy of finishing his second collegiate season, Horschel is tied for 10th in school history with 15 career top-10 finishes.

According to rankings posted on April 22, Horschel holds the No. 4 position on the Golfweek/Sagarin individual Performance Index with a power ranking of 69.32. The higher-ranked of two SEC players in the top-10, Horschel has played the nation’s fourth-toughest schedule according to the poll. Horschel has risen as high as No. 1 in the ratings this season, holding the top spot from April 16-23.

The sixth-ranked Gators await their assignment for the NCAA Regionals, which will take place from May 17-19. The East Regional will be held at the Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta, while the Central will be played at Rich Harvest Farms in Grove, Ill., and the West Regional, at which UF earned co-champion honors last season, will be contested at Arizona State University’s Karsten Golf Course. Regional selections will be posted on http://www.ncaasports.com at 6 p.m. EST on May 7.

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