SEC Championship: UF's Alejandro Tosti medals, Vandy is Top-Seed

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, SC (April 22, 2017) - The SEC Men's Championship individual race came down to a playoff on Saturday between Alejandro Tosti and Patrick Martin. Following a pair of four's on the first extra hole at the Seaside Course of Sea Island Golf Club it was Tosti with a four on the next hole that was able to take the title.

The individual title was the 21st time that a Florida Gator had medaled at the SEC Men's Championship and the first since 2011.

"He's just amazing. I'm so proud of his hard work. He's put a lot of time and effort into his game, working on his metal game and maturing and it paid off today, winning the SEC tournament," Florida head coach J.C. Deacon said of Tosti. "It's a pretty incredible feat."

Tosti, a junior, began the day in the lead and played well in the final round, firing a bogey-free 3- under 67 to post 10-under. The day started quickly for Tosti as he birdied the opening hole and then two others but following his last birdie on No. 15 it was three pars to the house.

Patrick Martin, a sophomore for Vanderbilt, was one-stroke better then Tosti in the final round with a 4-under 66 and he could have won the individual title in regulation had it not been for a bogey on the last.

Even-par after the front nine, Martin struck a torrid back nine pace birdieing the 11th and 13th before eagling the par-5 15th. Two holes later Martin took the lead at 11-under with a birdie on the 17th only to give the shot back on the next hole.

Chandler Phillips (Texas A&M) and Braden Thornberry (Ole Miss) shared third at 6-under while in a tie for fifth at 5-under it was Greyson Sigg (Georgia) and Cameron Champ (Texas A&M).

In the team standings No. 3 Vanderbilt closed with an 8-under tally to finish 11-under and claim the top-seed for match play.

36-hole leading No. 18 Texas A&M was second at 5-under, No. 6 LSU placed third at 3-under, in fourth it was fifth-ranked Florida at 2-under while South Carolina with a 9-over mark took fifth.

Sunday marks the first time that match play has been used at the SEC Men's Championship and the schedule is as follows. On Sunday morning the quarterfinal matches will be played, followed by the semifinals in the afternoon before the final two teams square off in the title tilt Monday morning.

Quarterfinal Matches

No. 1 Vanderbilt vs. No. 8 Ole Miss
No. 4 Florida vs. No. 5 South Carolina
No. 2 Texas A&M vs. No. 7 Missouri
No. 3 LSU vs. No. 6 Alabama

-Florida athletics contributed to this story