There isn’t much breathing room on the first-round leaderboard at the National Golf Invitational. Even as Wyoming finished the day 8 under at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes in Maricopa, Arizona, the Cowboys only gave themselves a one-shot cushion on Penn State.
The top nine spots on the leaderboard are separated by seven shots. Stetson, in 11th place at 2 over, is only 10 shots off the pace. And for a program that lives in the red, 10 shots is very much in the conversation.
The Hatters have never competed in the postseason before this year. Second-year head coach Danny Forshey has pushed a competitive culture back home in Daytona Beach, Florida, and it carried his team all the way to the desert.
Forshey, who previously coached at Appalachian State, Bethune-Cookman and Alcorn State, took inventory when he arrived two years ago. He brought in five new players this season to blend with the roster already in place. Then it became a birdie fest – all the time.
“We had a super competitive qualifying every time we qualified, and it was tough to get in the lineup,” Forshey said. “It forced guys to get better and shoot lower scores.”
Round One Results from the National Golf Invitational#GoHatters pic.twitter.com/5U9zLtBFYE
— Stetson Golf (@StetsonGolf) May 20, 2023
Most of the time, it took rounds in the 60s, or at least under par, to get a seat in the team van. Some players didn’t get to compete in tournaments as much as they’d hoped, Forshey said, but the outcome was that competition sharpened the whole roster, top to bottom.
It showed in the fall.
Stetson was runner-up at three fall tournaments and won its own Daytona Beach Intercollegiate. Remarkably, the Hatters were under par as a team in each of 15 fall tournament rounds. After the first half of the season, Stetson was ranked No. 55 in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings. The team had as strong a fall season as any program in the 13-team NGI field.
“We have a special group now,” Forshey said, “this is by far the most special team I’ve been a part of.”
Opportunity begets opportunity, and a first foray into the postseason could conceivably open even more doors for Stetson. Forshey said his men are learning on the fly at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes. He has emphasized driving the ball well and playing for the first bounce on firm, desert greens.
Mason Quagliata knows all about it, having grown up in nearby Scottsdale, Arizona. Quagliata brought in a bogey-free, 4-under 68 to lead Stetson…
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