GAINESVILLE — Florida golfer Matthew Kress arrived as an unsung teenager lacking the pedigree, résumé and confidence of many fellow Gators.
Coach JC Deacon’s 2021 squad featured accomplished amateurs, blue-chip recruits and seasoned collegians brimming with potential. Behind the scenes, Kress quietly wondered whether he belonged.
Day by day, he became indispensable to Florida’s surge of success, including 17 tournament victories with Kress in the lineup.
If Deacon’s team extends its streak of six straight Gators Invitational titles this weekend, the fifth-year senior will lead the charge. After moving up, down and even out of the five-man lineup during three previous appearances in the program’s home event, Kress will occupy the No. 1 spot for the first time.
In a position he once never imagined, Kress is ready for whatever comes next.
“If you would have asked me what my goals were when I first started here, it’d be to make sure I had a spot on the team the next year,” Kress recalled. “But that’s changed quite a lot. I’m making stuff up on the fly, which is how life goes sometimes.”
Kress’ ascent has been anything but accidental.
“He’s one of the hardest workers on this team,” junior Jack Turner said. “In anything you do, if you’re persistent and work hard every single day, eventually the outcome is going to be good. It’s been huge for us.”
Before Turner arrived, Kress had already established himself as a grinder — and a winner.
Following a redshirt season in 2021-22, Kress cracked the starting lineup prior to the 2023 Gator Invitational. Florida’s victory launched a historic run that culminated in SEC and NCAA championships — a double last achieved by the 2001 Gators.
Kress has proven at his best in the cauldron, going 5-1 in match play during Florida’s 2023 and 2025 SEC title runs. Low-key and reserved on and off the course, the 23-year-old rarely betrays emotion.
“There’s ups and downs to that,” he said. “There’s not a lot that will get me over the moon, but there’s also not a lot that’s going to drag me to the dumps. I try to stay pretty even-keeled.”
His ability to stay immersed in the process and ignore distractions was on full display during the Sea Best Invitational, the spring opener Feb. 2-3 in Jacksonville. In blustery, demanding conditions at Atlantic Beach Country Club, Kress birdied four of his final five holes to post a bogey-free 6-under 66 as Florida edged UNC Wilmington by a stroke.
The self-effacing Kress downplayed the moment.
“I can’t claim it was a super-clutch performance,” he said. “I wasn’t exactly aware of what the situation was coming down the stretch. My coaches knew. They didn’t fill me in, which probably helped.”
He won’t be able to avoid the high stakes this weekend at UF’s Mark Bostick Golf Course.
No. 5 Auburn and No. 11 Oklahoma State — the defending national champions — along with No. 20 Charlotte and No. 22 Notre Dame headline a field widely considered the tournament’s strongest in years.
“Our guys have definitely taken notice, and we know we’re going to be challenged,” Deacon said. “We’re going to have to play our best to win this tournament. They want to compete against the best teams and players. It’s a great opportunity to do it on our home course, in front of our home fans.
“Hopefully we can keep the streak alive.”
From the top spot, Kress will square off with Auburn phenom Jackson Koivun, the world’s No. 1 amateur, and Oklahoma State’s Ethan Fang, ranked No. 6.
“He’s the real deal,” Kress said of Koivun, who also hails from Northern California. “It’s always interesting to see how other people’s games stack up on your home course that you play every day. I have my own strategy. I’ve played thousands of rounds out here.”
Kress, ranked No. 53, is one of three Gators inside the top 60. Turner (No. 15) will man the No. 2 position ahead of sophomore Zack Swanwick (No. 57). Parker Sands slots in at No. 4, while highly touted Iowa transfer Noah Kent rounds out the lineup in his Florida debut after redshirting last spring and fall.
Even with No. 20 Luke Poulter sidelined by back tightness, the Gators remain loaded. Senior Parker Bell, ranked No. 86, sank the winning putt at last November’s East Lake Cup but will compete as an individual, as will sophomore Joshua Bai and freshman Trevor Gutschewski, who tied for 12th at Sea Best and shot 65 during qualifying on the par-70 UF course.
Deacon has options each week. Competition for lineup spots is fierce.
Kress once felt like the odd man out.
This weekend, he’ll stand at the front — with only fairways and greens ahead.
“He’s poured his heart and soul into this program, and to play No. 1 is an incredible honor,” Deacon said. “He worked his way up from being 13th out of 13 when he arrived to No. 1 out of 10 in his fifth year.
“I’m so proud to have him in that spot. I’m going to enjoy watching him this weekend.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
