UNF's Nick Gabrelcik is a Hogan Award semifinalist again. But he faces an uphill battle
![Nick Gabrelcik, of the University of North Florida, watches his tee shot on the third hole during an NCAA golf tournament, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, in Windermere, Fla. [Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/86fk6O9qfFDcRuOddnfYAw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-florida-times-union/cb42c83831d02b518719df42dd86f78f)
It might be a long shot given events of this spring, but University of North Florida junior Nick Gabrelcik is one of 10 semifinalists for the 2023 Ben Hogan Award for the top college golfer in the nation for the third time in his career.
Gabrelcik is one of only two players from non Power-Five conferences to make the final 10. The Hogan Award honors the top college golfers in all divisions (NCAA Division I, II, II; NAIA and NJCAA), based on all college, amateur and professional events over the previous 12 months.
Gabrelcik is eighth in the most recent Golfstat.com index and 16th on the Golfweek rankings. He has won back-to-back ASUN player of the year awards and has eight top-five finishes this season, with a scoring average of 69.08. He has helped the Ospreys finish among the top-five seven times and was the co-medalist at the Isleworth Collegiate last fall, his seventh individual title in college.
Gabrelcik also made the cut at the PGA Tour's Valspar Championship.
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However, two other players on the list are the clear favorites. Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt has been the No. 1-ranked college player this season and won the individual title with a record 15-under score at The Hayt and Sam Bennett of Texas A&M was the low amateur at the Masters.
UNF will play in the ASUN Championship April 23-25 at the Robert Trent Jones Magnolia Grove Course in Mobile, Ala.
Marsh Creek team wins Florida Interclub
Led by Jerry Dedge and Josh Jimmerson in the final round, a team from the Marsh Creek Country Club in St. Augustine won the Florida State Golf Association Interclub Championship at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor.
Dedge scored 41 points with two net eagles and Jimmerson added 34 points under a net Stableford format at the Copperhead Course to lead Marsh Creek to 383 points over 36 holes. They defeated Orlando's Dubsdread Country Club by four points.
Greg Bland scored 35 points to lead Marsh Creek in the first round at the Island Course.
Also on the team are Larry Einheuser, Eric Hill, David Ridley, Steve Sapp and Jeffrey King.
FSGA to hold Adaptive Open
The Florida State Golf Association will hold its inaugural Florida Adaptive Open Championship Oct. 1-3 at the Innisbrook Resort South Course in Palm Harbor.
The championship will be contested over 36 holes of stroke play and is open to men and women (either professionals or amateurs) with either a physical impairment, sensory impairment (vision), or intellectual impairment, with an authorized World Handicap System (WHS) Handicap Index of 36.4 or lower. A WR4GD or Access pass is required.
The field will be 60 players, with 10 eligible impairments: muscle power, passive range of movement, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, vision impairment and intellectual impairment. Caddies and aides are permitted.
Entries will open at fsga.org on May 1.
First Coast FSGA results
Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach shot 67-74--141 to finish third in the Florida Junior Tour Exempt Event at the Country Club of Ocala, four shots behind winner Jessy Huebner of Port St. Lucie. Nolan Harper of St. Augustine (142) tied for fourth, Luke Balaskiewicz of St. Augustine (143) was sixth and Stefan Ink of Ponte Vedra (144) tied for seventh. ... Chris Henderson of Jacksonville and Joe Stepnes of Atlantic Beach shared medalist at 2-under 70 in an FSGA Mid-Amateur qualifier at the Slammer & Squire. Both players birdied the 18th hole. Also qualifying were Mark Spencer of Jacksonville (73) and Toshi Hirata of Jacksonville and Steve Carter of St. Augustine (both shot 74). ... Michael Luc of Jacksonville tied for fourth to qualify at the LPGA International. ... The Mid-Amateur will be May 11-14 at Royal Poinciana in Naples.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Will third time as Hogan semifinalist be a charm for UNF's Nick Gabrelcik?
