ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - The #55 ranked Stetson University men's golf team began the spring season on a hot note, claiming a championship in the World Golf Village Collegiate on Feb. 19-20 at the King & Bear Golf Course in St. Augustine. The first place finish marked the second championship Stetson has won this season, last winning the USF Invitational on Oct. 9-10, and it was Head Coach Danny Forshey's 4th victory with the Hatters and his 23rd overall.

"Our guys showed our grit and toughness today. Being down by 10 strokes with 9 holes to play, they kept grinding and making birdies," said Forshey. "This team has all the ingredients of a championship team. We are resilient and can overcome adversity."

The Hatters finished the tournament shooting -16 after posting -11 in the third round to push them ahead of Jacksonville State, who led by five strokes at the conclusion of day 1. After posting a team score of 292 in the opening round, the Hatters settled down and fired off scores of 279 and 277 to finish with a 848.

Leading Stetson in the victorious effort was Dominic Clemons, who finished in 3rd place with -12. After starting the tournament with a 72 in the first round before shooting a 66 in the next two rounds to finish with a 204. 

Following Clemons was Truman Keppy, who tied for 7th with a -3. The senior shot a 67 in the third round after beginning the tournament with a 75 and a 71. Javier Calles Roman and John Houchin both tied for 16th with a +1. The former of the two posted a line of 75, 73 and 69 while the latter began with a 72 and 69 before finishing with a 76.

Matt Gauntlett placed 38th with a pair of 73s and 75 while Bradley Goldstein, who competed as an individual, placed T-9th with a 73, 71 and 70.

As a team, Stetson led all teams with a 4.07 average on Par 4's and a 4.65 average on Par 5's while tallying 175 pars, 51 birdies and a pair of eagles. Clemons averaged a 3.83 while Keppy averaged 3.97 on Par 4's while Goldstein averaged 4.33 and Clemons averaged 4.50 on Par 5's.

Gauntlett and Roman both racked up 37 pars while Clemons led the Hatters with 17 birdies. Goldstein and Keppy each birdied 11 times while Gauntlett and Houchin each recorded an eagle.

The Hatters will now head out west as they tlook to continue their winning ways in the 2024 Lake Las Vegas Invitational at reflection Bay Golf club in Henderson, NV from Feb 26 (Mon) to Feb 28 (Wed), starting at 8:00 AM.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS.

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