With a three-week break since last playing a competitive round, the Stetson men's golf team has had time to focus its energy on improving areas of the game that have been causing trouble.
The Hatters will find out on Monday if those efforts at the Edinger Golf Practice Facility have paid dividends. Stetson will compete in the National Intercollegiate against 12 other teams starting on Monday in Greensboro, Ga.
The event, which is being played at the Reynolds Lake Oconee National Course, is being hosted by Mercer and includes ASUN foes Bellarmine, Kennesaw State and North Alabama.
The National has three nine-hole courses on site. This event will be played on the Ridge and Bluff with a total distance of 6, 955 yards to a par of 72. The course name indicates the type of terrain players will face on that nine-hole tract.
Designed by Tom Fazio, The National features grass, sand, trees and water found in the hardwood forests and rolling terrain of the region with impressive changes in elevation, dense forests and breathtaking views.
The Hatters will have their two veterans – graduates
Chris Williard and
Nick Montes – along with junior
Benjamin Resnick, sophomore
Mason Quagliata and freshman
Truman Keppy in the lineup for The National. The event will include 36 holes of competition on Monday and a finale 18 holes on Tuesday.
Williard, who has played in just one of the three Stetson events this spring due to qualifying efforts for the Korn Ferry Tour, carries a team best 71.0 scoring average into the event this week. Montes is second on the squad with a 75.0 average, followed closely by Quagliata (75.11) and Keppy (75.22). Resnick has a 75.89 average through three events.
In addition to the host team from Mercer and the four ASUN squads, the field includes teams from Austin Peay, Belmont, Dalton State, Jacksonville State, Morehead State, UT Martin, Tennessee Tech and Troy. There will also be some individual players from Georgia State in the event.
Stetson has played in events this spring with six of the 12 teams in the field. The Hatters will play the first 36 holes with fellow ASUN members North Alabama and Bellarmine. The event will have a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Stetson will open play on holes 11, 12, 13 and 14.
Live scoring will be available throughout the tournament through Golfstat.com.
Following the National, the Hatters will have one final tune-up event before the ASUN Championship. Stetson will make its annual trip to southwest Florida to play in the Old Corkscrew Intercollegiate, hosted by FGCU, on April 12-13.
The ASUN Championship will be played at the UGA Golf Course in Athens, Ga., from April 18-20.
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.
