1 » Experiencing his first season on the PGA Tour, former Florida Gators four-time All-American golfer Billy Horschel’s season is now over after he injured a tendon in his left wrist. Planning to have surgery on his wrist after seeing a specialist in New York last week, Horschel will be granted a medical exception by the PGA so he can return to the tour without having to qualify in 2011. “I’m not shocked,” he told Florida Today. “It happens. It’s the nature of sports in general. You get hurt, you have to take time off to get beter. I haven’t been 100 percent in a long time.”

2 » Camilo Villegas, by comparison, is a seasoned veteran having joined the tour in 2006 and taken home wins in the BMW Championship and The Tour Championship in 2008. “I’m playing golf for a living,” he said when asked about his recent struggles by The Gainesville Sun. “A million people would give whatever to be here. I’m feeling more appreciative of what I’m doing. This week, I’m having fun. I have nothing to lose.”

Tags: Billy Horschel, BMW Championship, Camilo Villegas, golf, PGA, Tour Championship

From time to time, OGGOA will come across a plethora of news and notes that we wish to share with our readers. In those instances, we present a special post: Gator Bites. Enjoy.

» Arguably the greatest player in the history of Florida Gators baseball, free agent Brad Wilkerson has signed a minor-league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was a member of the 2010 UF Hall of Fame class, a part of the 1996 and 1998 College World Series teams, a two-time All-American, three-time All-SEC selection and the 1998 Collegiate Player of the Year. Wilkerson holds career records at Florida for batting average, RBIs, slugging percentage and walks. He played for four MLB teams from 2001-08 and won a gold medal with Team USA baseball at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

There are seven more Gator Bites for you to check out…after the jump!
Continue Reading » Gator Bites for Wednesday, February 24

Tags: Allie Will, Ashanée Dickerson, baseball, Billy Donovan, Brad Wilkerson, Brittany Dashiell, Central District Invitational, Deanna Allen, Florida State Seminoles, Freshman Gymnast of the Week, golf, Gymnast of the Week, gymnastics, Isabelle Lendl, La Salle Explorers, lacrosse, Marika Lendl, Marissa King, Marrit Boonstra, MLB, Pensacola Junior College, Philadelphia Phillies, Ray Shipman, Sam Wyche, SEC, tennis, Tyler Murphy

1 » ESPN has taken to praising 2011 athlete recruit A.C. Leonard (Interlachen, FL), a current Florida Gators commitment. Called “a jack-of-all-trades in high school,” Leonard is projected as a tight end or defensive end in college and worked out extensively at the former position during the Jacksonville, FL, Under Armour combine over the weekend. Leonard continues to impress and remains a solid verbal commitment.

2 » No. 4 Florida men’s golf took home its seventh straight SunTrust Gator Invitational title on Sunday, shooting a team score of 279 (-1) in the final round at the Mark Bostik Golf Course. Up nine strokes going into the final round, the Gators doubled it up and won by 18. Seniors Tyson Alexander and Tim McKenney, along with redshirt junior Andres Echavarria, tied for third place with a total score of 212 (+2).

Four more BITS on tennis, women’s b-ball and softball’s rebound after the jump!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: A.C. Leonard, golf, tennis, b-ball, softball

Tags: A.C. Leonard, Alexandre Lacroix, Andres Echavarria, Antoine Benneteau, Boar’s Head Sports Club, Eddie C. Moore Complex, Francesca Enea, Georgia Bulldogs, golf, ITA National Team Indoor Championship, Long Island Blackbirds, Mark Bostik Golf Course, Nielsen Tennis Stadium, Northwestern Wildcats, South Florida Bulls, Steffi Sorensen, Stephanie Brombacher, SunTrust Gator Invitational, Tennessee Lady Vols, tennis, Thompson-Boling Arena, Tim McKenney, Tyson Alexander, UCLA Bruins, Under Armour, USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament

1 » After three days of action, the No. 4 Florida Gators men’s golf team led the 33rd annual SunTrust Gator Invitational with a total score of 562 (283-279, +2) after 36 holes at the Mark Bostick Golf Course. Senior Tyson Alexander shot a two-round 141 (71-70, +1), good for a first-place tie going into the final round. That will take place Sunday beginning at 9:10 a.m.

News on tennis, softball, track and former LB James Harrell after the jump!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Golf, tennis, softball, track, Harrell

Tags: Alexandre Lacroix, Antoine Benneteau, Boar’s Head Sports Club, Brittany Schutte, East Carolina Pirates, Ensley Gammel, field, Francesca Enea, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, golf, ITA National Team Indoor Championship, James Harrell, Jesuit, Kelsey Bruder, Mark Bostick Golf Course, NFL, Ohio State Buckeyes, softball, Stephanie Brombacher, SunTrust Gator Invitational, tennis, track, USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament, USFL

1 » In South Florida, it remains “all about The U,” but some including former Miami Hurricanes defensive back Bernie Blades are worried that the Florida Gators are taking all of the state’s elite talent. “If we allow these kids to leave South Florida and go to the Gators, we will keep starting below the curve,” Blades told The Miami Herald. “I love Randy Shannon. But if we cannot start keeping these kids at home, then we have to focus on finding someone who will.”

2 » Former Florida dazzler turned ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews continues to fight as she faces her stalker in a California courtroom. In a sentencing memo that was filed Monday with the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, CA, Michael David Barrett appears to have uploaded videos of 16 women aside from Andrews into the same online account. According to the document, Barrett allegedly conducted 30 background checks on various women and uploaded 32 videos in all. Barrett accepted a plea bargain and pleaded guilty to interstate stalking and agreed to spend 27 months in prison. Andrews and her attorneys have not approved that sentence, are demanding $335,000 in restitution and are scheduled to make their case heard in court on March 15.

Extra Bit » OGGOA wants to send its warmest wishes to former Gators golfers Billy Horschel and Brittany Nelson, who got engaged to each other Tuesday evening. You can congratulate them at their respective Twitter pages here and here.

Tags: Bernie Blades, Billy Horschel, Brittany Nelson, dazzlers, Erin Andrews, golf, Miami Hurricanes, Randy Shannon

**PLEASE NOTE: OGGOA is undergoing a server switch that began Friday night at 9 p.m. (EST). Should you have any errors, everything will be fixed and back to normal shortly. Thank you for your patience and for reading OGGOA!**

1 » Florida Gators basketball (11-5, 0-2 SEC) is looking to rebound from losing five of its last eight games as it takes on the LSU Tigers (9-7, 0-2 SEC) Saturday at 8 p.m. at home in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The game will air live on FSN. Both teams are winless in Southeastern Conference action this season, and the Gators have not defeated the Tigers since March 11, 2006. Florida trails the all-time series 60-37.

2 » Two things must happen for the Gators to get back to prominence, the team must regain its swagger and redshirt junior center Vernon Macklin needs to stay out of foul trouble. If this was not obvious enough from watching the team play its last two games, both The Gainesville Sun and The Florida Times-Union are happy to break it down for you. “He’s just got to be smarter with what plays he puts himself into and what plays he doesn’t,” head coach Billy Donovan said. The Florida coach also expanded on some of the team’s recent difficulties to the Miami Herald‘s Joseph Goodman. “The loss of eight really, really good players over the last three years has probably been more of an impact on us,” Donovan said. “I think our team would look a little bit different with Nick out there right now; our team last year would have looked a little bit different even with Maurice out there.” Even so, Donovan is not opposed to bringing in one-and-done players in the future to give the team enough talent to make the March Madness run it so desperately has been waiting for since back-to-back National Championships. Donovan is also trying to give the team a much-needed wake-up call.

Four BITS on gymnastics, Tim Tebow and other Gators sports after the jump!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: LSU, Macklin, gym, NCAA honors, Tebow

Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, Billy Donovan, Deb Richard, diving, Focus on the Family, golf, gymnastics, LSU Tigers, March Madness, NCAA Honors Celebration, NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, NCAA Top VIII Award, O'Connell Center, Oklahoma Sooners, Pam Tebow, SEC, Super Bowl, swimming, tennis, Tim Tebow, track & field, Vernon Macklin

1 » Redshirt junior transfer running back Emmanuel Moody always seems to be injured. Whether it is a sprained ankle, tweaked knee or pulled hamstring, something is consistently there preventing him from performing at 100 percent. Moody told The Gainesville Sun on Sunday that bone spurs are actually the cause of the majority of his ankle injuries both previously with the USC Trojans and now with the Florida Gators. Surgery last week cleaned out the fragments and has him excited for next season.

2 » Unranked Florida women’s basketball (9-7, 2-1 SEC) fell to the No. 8 Georgia Lady Bulldogs (16-3, 3-0 SEC) 61-52 Sunday evening in Athens, GA, at Stegeman Coliseum. Redshirt sophomore guard Jordan Jones led the Gators with 13 points while freshman forward Jennifer George nabbed a career-high and team-high 10 rebounds. Florida returns home to face the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers (14-1, 2-0 SEC) on Thursday in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center at 7 p.m. The game will air live on Comcast Sports South.

3 » Conversely, the Gators men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams had a great weekend, as the No. 6 men’s team took down the No. 18 LSU Tigers 157.5-134.5 and the No. 7 women defeated No. 21 LSU by 171-121 in the O’Connell Center. Senior Kara Salamone set a school-record in the one-meter springboard diving competition with a 318.15; she would also win the three-meter competition on Sunday. The UF women won 13 of 16 events while the men took 10 of 16. Check OGGOA’s weekly schedule to the right for the next Gators swim meets.

4 » Gators freshman golfer Tommy Mou took home the 84th annual New Year’s Invitational at the St. Petersburg Country Club with a four-day score of 2-over 290. “I tried to play my game, and it was so hard to do that (Sunday),” Mou told the St. Petersburg Times. “I only hit four or five greens all day. It was tough out there.”

Tags: diving, Emmanuel Moody, Georgia Lady Bulldogs, golf, Jennifer George, Jordan Jones, Kara Salamone, LSU Tigers, O’Connell Center, Stegeman Coliseum, swimming, Tommy Mou, USC Trojans, women's basketball

1 » Florida Gators cornerbacks coach Vance Bedford visited the home of four-star CB recruit Cody Riggs (Fort Lauderdale, FL) Thursday night and earned the St. Thomas Aquinas High School product’s commitment, according to a report from Rivals. Bedford still taking visits and bringing back commitments is a strong indication that he may not leave the Gators as was previously reported by other sources.

2 » Former Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Brian Kelly, who has now accepted the same job with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, will not coach his former team in the 2010 Sugar Bowl against Florida, according to university administrators. In the few hours since Kelly’s announcement, Cincinnati players have already begun bashing him in the press. “I didn’t want to hear it,” star wide receiver Mardy Gilyard said. “I’m fairly disgusted with the situation – him letting it last this long. Hopefully he’ll pack his things up and get to South Bend in a hurry.”

3 » Gators players, including redshirt junior left guard Carl Johnson, are making sure the team is up and ready for the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. “Winning [22] straight games in a row is not much of a letdown,” he said. “We had the nation’s [longest] win streak there for a while. We’ve still got a BCS bowl game. We’ve still got another opponent. It’s not much of a letdown.”

4 » Golfer Greg Norman will host a 12-team golf tournament on Friday at the Tiburon Golf Club and two of the main competitors in the contest are former Florida players. Mark Calcavecchia and Brian Gay will pair together in the $3 million tournament.

Tags: Brian Gay, Brian Kelly, Carl Johnson, Cincinnati Bearcats, Cody Riggs, golf, Greg Norman, Mardy Gilyard, Mark Calcavecchia, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, St. Thomas Aquinas, Sugar Bowl, Tiburon Golf Club, Vance Bedford