Christmas came early for Florida head coach J.C. Deacon, only it wasn’t Santa Claus but rather the transfer portal that delivered the gift.
The Gators got to officially unwrap their new toy on Monday as the school announced the signing of Yuxin Lin, a two-time Asia-Pacific Amateur champion who has already played in two Masters, including this fall’s edition. Lin was also a third-team All-American last season as a freshman at USC and is currently ranked 18th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
“You could not get a better Christmas present for a golf coach,” Deacon told GolfChannel.com on Tuesday morning. “We’re super excited. He’s just such a great player and has so much great experience. He’s got swagger. And he and I get along very well, which is a bonus. He’s a perfect fit for our program.”
Lin entered the transfer portal last month, opting to leave a Trojans program that replaced longtime head coach Chris Zambri with former Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins in August. Because USC did not compete this fall due to COVID-19, Lin will be eligible to play right away for his new team and has four years of eligibility remaining.
Lin, whose freshman campaign was highlighted by a victory at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, figures to slot behind reigning Phil Mickelson Award winner and recent top-ranked amateur Ricky Castillo in the Gators’ lineup. Florida’s roster also includes two heralded freshmen (Joe Pagdin and Tyler Wilkes) and a pair of D-II All-Americans (Gio Manzoni and Carlos Bustos).
“He’s going to be around some unbelievable teammates,” Deacon added. “I think that was a big part of his decision. He wanted to be a part of that and play with these guys, and he knows he’s going to have to come here and play really well to beat them. He also gets to come and play on some Bermuda grass and learn that, and that’s going to help him a lot. He just wants to win as a team. He really wants to win some team championships.”
Florida competed in three events this fall with a best finish of T-4 at Vanderbilt’s home tournament. The Gators will enter the spring ranked 15th in Golfstat, and they now have arguably their deepest team since a 2016-17 squad that included Sam Horsfield, Ale Tosti and Andy Zhang.
“There’s no excuses,” Deacon said. “We’ve got the players and we’ve got the talent, and now we just have to go get it done. I do know that when it clicks, and it’s going to click at some point, this team is going to be very special. Our guys know they have a great opportunity and it’s time to hit the gas.”