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Biondi Crowned NCAA National Champion

June 1, 2023


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - With the final 4-foot putt falling in the back of the 18th hole’s cup at the Grayhawk Golf Club at the 2023 NCAA National Championship, Fred Biondi of the Florida Gators could finally take in his career altering accomplishment. 

The Brazil native moved to Miami Beach, Florida at 15 years old, where he competed as a junior golfer all over the state. As a junior golfer in Florida, Biondi claimed the FSGA Boys’ Junior Player of the Year honor in 2017, the Florida Boys’ Amateur title in 2016 and 2017, and was named the Florida Junior Tour Points champion in 2016. 

Biondi found amateur success after wrapping up a successful junior golf career.  The University of Florida senior secured a victory at the 2021 Florida Amateur Championship, draining a 40-foot putt on the 71st hole of the championship to claim the title. He became just the eighth player to win both the Amateur and Boys’ Junior Championships.

Biondi also earned co-medalist at the U.S. Amateur Champion in 2022 by shooting a pair of 69’s. He would then go on to make it to the Round of 32 match play, falling to the eventual champion, Sam Bennett.  

The Brazilian has put together a stellar college career at the University of Florida. With a scoring average of 74.5 his Redshirt Freshman year, a 72.33 scoring average his Sophomore year, and a scoring average of 70.1 of his Junior year, becoming one of the Gator’s top performing players and earning four collegiate wins prior to the National Championship.

As a senior, Biondi was named 2022 All-SEC First Team, 2022 PING First Team All-American, 2022 Golfweek First Team All-American and 2023 SEC Second Team All-SEC. The senior also helped lead the Gators to the 2023 SEC Championship victory, their 16th conference title and first since 2011.

Now, he will be forever known as the 2023 NCAA Individual National Champion as he earned that title this week. Biondi was the third Gator in the university’s history to claim the NCAA title after Bob Murphy (1966) and Nick Gilliam (2001). Biondi is also the first Latin American to claim the individual championship title.

Fred started the final day of the individual championship five strokes back from the leaders after shooting 69-68-69 the first three days.

“I tried to remain patient throughout the entire day,” said Biondi to the NCAA on Monday. “That was the key. No matter what happened, if I was hitting good shots or bad shots, I was going to keep the same attitude. Keep my head down and do the best I could.”

With a steady front nine, Biondi shot 2 under with four birdies and one bogey. In the end, the graduating senior would take home the victory with a par on the last hole shooting 3-under 67 and finishing one shot head of Ross Steelman of Georgia Tech and Jackson Buchanan of Illinois. 

Two days after capturing the NCAA Individual title, Biondi and the Gators secured the team crown at the 2023 NCAA Championships. Biondi provided the clenching point on Wednesday, as the Gators defeated Georgia Tech 3-1 to win their fifth national championship and first since 2001. With this team victory, Biondi became just the second Gator in school history to earn the individual and team title in the same season (Nick Gilliam).

With the title of the 2023 NCAA Individual National Champion in his back pocket, Biondi also comes away with an exemption into the 2024 Masters and this year's U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club in June.