The members of the Stetson men's golf team had their collective backs to the wall before they ever got to the course on Tuesday for the second day of their match against Embry-Riddle.
After the two teams split 10 matches on Monday, the Hatters went into Tuesday a man down after freshman Spencer Turner spent Monday night in the emergency room due to an allergic reaction.
So, the Hatters needed to record wins in six of the final nine singles matches to earn a victory in the Ryder Cup style match.
“Going into today, I was skeptical because we needed to win six of the nine matches because Spencer wound up in the emergency room last night,” Hatters coach Larry Watson said. “He played yesterday, but had an allergic reaction and the doctors advised against him playing today and I was absolutely against him playing.
“We knew we were going to lose that point, so it was going to be tough for us to have to win six of the other nine matches. The boys went out and did it. No matter how big you won, they all count the same.”
Play on Monday started with alternate shot matches, and the teams split those. Junior Dustin Dingus teamed with Turner to defeat Alejandor Lozano and Kyle Morgan 3 & 2 while freshman Chase Levesque teamed with sophomore Zach Stark to defeat Henrik Petersson and Adam LaGrange 2 & 1.
Embry Riddle's Tyler Green and Brent Graham earned a point with a 3 & 2 victory over sophomores Dirk Kuehler and Eliott Azoulay while the Eagles' Jon Kopsell and Patrick Byrne defeated Stetson senior Matt Taylor and junior David Torres 2 up.
The fifth match in the alternate shot rounded ended all square with Stetson juniors Brian Kehoe and Michael Primavera sharing a point with Embry Riddle's Colt Hankamer and Thomas Garnier.
The second round on Monday featured five two-man, best-ball matches. Again, the Hatters and Eagles split, with both teams winning two matches and halving the fifth.
For Stetson, Dingus and Turner earned a convincing 8 & 7 victory over Lozano and Morgan while Levesque and Stark took a 3 & 1 win over Petersson and LaGrange.
The Eagles earned points with victories by Kopsell and Byrne, 3 & 2 over Torres and Taylor, and Hankamer and Garnier, 2 & 1 over Kehoe and Primavera. The match between Stetson's Kuehler and Azoulay and Embry Riddle's Green and Graham finished all square.
Play on Tuesday featured 10 single matches, each worth one point, with Embry Riddle getting one by default due to Turner's illness.
Stark, Dingus and Taylor got the Hatters off to a great start by earning convincing victories. Dingus defeated Lozano and Taylor defeated Morgan, both by the score of 4 & 3 while Stark downed Hankamer 8 & 6.
The Eagles got those three points back, however, with three 2 & 1 wins. Kopsell defeated Torres, Green downed Kuehler and Petersson topped Primavera.
Levesque was the next to finish, winning his match over Graham 2 up to give the Hatters a one-point lead.
That left two matches on the course to settle the event, and both went down to the final hole.
Kehoe ended up edging Byrne 1 up and Azoulay defeated Garnier by the same score to give the Hatters an 11-9 victory.
“We were really fortunate to win,” Watson said. “A couple of the boys played good, and the others just played good enough to win and, in match play, that is all that matters. You are just trying not to lose a hole. I was really proud of Brian Kehoe because he had to win the last hole for us to win, and he did.”
In addition to getting a victory, the event allowed all 10 players, on both teams, to get a taste of collegiate competition going into the winter break in the season.
“I think this was good for the team,” Watson said. “To have all 10 players get to participate and have some competition was good. The only way we are ever going to make a move is to play better in competition. We are starting to get there.”
Watson said that he and Embry Riddle coach Ken Staton were so happy with the event, they may make an annual affair.
“I thought this was a great event for us and for Ken's team,” Watson said. “We have been friends for a long time, he played on the tour, and is a great coach for their program. He does a great job with his boys. We may do this kind of thing every year. Maybe we will play next year on their home course at LPGA.”
In addition to getting the win, Watson said he wanted to send out thanks to the Hilton Garden Inn for their sponsorship and to Stetson men's basketball coach Corey Williams and football coach Roger Hughes for their support.
“I thought it was great that Coach Williams brought his basketball team out yesterday to watch us play and then, today, Coach (Nolan) Behrns brought out Donald Payne and some of the boys from the football team. That means a lot to me. It means a lot when other teams support each other, and I know my boys support them.”
The Hatters will return to action in March when they open spring play at the Davidson College Invitational in North Carolina. That will be the first of five spring events that will culminate at the A-Sun Championship in April.
