Jack Turner inspired by SEC champion Paula Francisco as Gators chase title

GAINESVILLE - Florida golfer Jack Turner was front and center Sunday to celebrate fellow Gator Paula Francisco's SEC Championship win in Belleair.

Inspired and smitten by Francisco, his girlfriend, Turner now looks to match her this week as the Gators tee it up in Sea Island, Georgia, seeking a repeat SEC title.

The SEC individual runner-up as a freshman in 2024, Turner has seen firsthand what it takes to prevail against a stacked field led by world No. 1 amateur Jackson Koivun of Auburn.

"I get to watch her all the time, and I see what she’s doing at home," Turner told the Orlando Sentinel Monday. "It’s nothing different. She’s a super hard worker, but I’m doing the same thing, so it just makes me more believe that I’ve got all the tools, I’ve got everything it takes.

"Now it’s just time to kind of get out of my own way, which I think something she does really, really well."

Francisco, a junior from Spain, ignores leaderboards and sticks to her process - an approach Turner hopes to mirror during stroke play Wednesday through Friday, with the top-eight teams advancing to match play over the weekend.

"If I'm lucky enough to be in contention this week, staying away from that a little bit more and just playing and doing what I’ve done to get to that point is something that I’d take away from watching her and hope to do what she just did," Turner said.

Francisco plans to attend Friday's round and remain for match play - if the Gators advance.

Turner hopes to be lifting a trophy of his own by week’s end. Their shared success hasn’t gone unnoticed by coach JC Deacon.

Deacon dubbed the pair the “Royal Couple of Gator Golf."

"They’ve brought so much on and off the course to the Gator golf program," he said.

Playing in the No. 1 spot, Turner will lead the pursuit of Florida’s third SEC title in four years against a field featuring 10 of the nation's top 20 teams, including Koivun's top-ranked Tigers, No. 3 Texas, led by No. 4 Christaan Maas, and No. 5 Arkansas, home to John Daly II.

"We have to go and play great," Deacon said. "I do expect us to go play well. Match play's the goal, but we’re not really going to focus on that until we get there. We have a lot of work to do to earn that spot."

Ranked No. 25 among amateurs worldwide, Turner leads the Gators in scoring average (71.3) and top-25 finishers, with eight. The 21 year old anchors a lineup featuring four players in the top 55: No. 17 Luke Poulter, No. 45 Matthew Kress and No. 55 Zack Swanwick.

Deacon calls Parker Sands the Gators' "X Factor" and "best five man we’ve had in a long time." A sophomore from Oklahoma, Sands posted a career-best seventh-place finish at the Calusa Cup on April 7 in Naples, where four Gators finished among the top 13, led by Turner in a tie for fourth place.

The performance secured Florida’s fifth win for the fourth consecutive season as Deacon continues building one of the nation's top programs. A sixth victory this week would match the total of the 2023 national champions.

A lineup without holes will make Florida difficult to eliminate if it reaches match play.

"We’ve got five guys on this team that could win the tournament," Turner said. "When you're that good and that deep, there’s just not a single match any of these guys are going into where they feel like they’re the underdogs."

This depth also brings expectations - and pressure - during a grueling week that could span 108 holes across five days.

"It's one of those things where if you make it to match play, you’re expected to make it, and if you don’t make the match play, it’s a bummer," Turner said. "You really got to stay focused, not worry about what everyone else is doing and just stay in our lane. We have enough great talent on our team that we’re going to be just fine.

"If we start thinking about winning before we even make it there, that’s when things could be a problem. So just stay focused each day - one day at a time."

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

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This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 4:07 PM.