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FRESNO, Calif-Mike Watney and the Bulldogs are gearing up to host their 46th annual Fresno State Lexus Classic golf tournament at the par 72 course, Belmont Country Club, which lies over 6,503 yards, on Mon-Tues, March 9-10. The Bulldog lineup is Grant Doverspike, Bryan Hogan, Bhavik Patel, Todd Angel and Michael Gideon. Brad Wyatt, Brian Sunker and Cory Bischel are set to play as individuals. The tournament will begin with a shotgun start on Mon., March 9 and two rounds will be played. The final round starts Tues., March 10, at 8 a.m. on holes one and 10. 2009 field consists of Washington, Oklahoma, Arizona State, BYU, Fresno State, San Diego State, UC Irvine, San Diego, Nevada, Boise State, Pacific, UTEP, Santa Barbara, UC Davis, Bakersfield, Sac State, Northridge, Hawai'i, San Jose and Fresno City College.

Fresno State Lexus Classic History
The Fresno State Lexus Golf Classic began in 1964 under the direction of former Fresno State golf coach Larry Pape. His venture, which began with six of the best West Coast teams, has blossomed into one of the most prestigious events on the collegiate tour. From 1967 through 1974, seven of the eight Classic individual champions went on to PGA stardom. Stanford's Tom Watson won the title in 1969 and USC's Craig Stadler won back-to-back championships in 1973-74. Fresno State won its first Classic in 1973, led by All-American and current head coach, Mike Watney, who finished one stroke behind Stadler. Other big names that have competed in the tournament include Johnny Miller, 1971 champion Ray Leach, 1979-80 champion Bobby Clampett, Scott Simpson, Wille Wood, Billy Andred, Arron Oberholser, 1988 champion Mike Springer, 1989 champion Phil Mickelson, 2001-02 champion Nick Watney and Tim Norris. Fresno State has claimed a total of six team championships and six individual championships (Jerry Heard, 1967-68; Bob Berkler, 1970; Dana Booth, 1977 and Nick Watney in 2001 and 2002) in 43 tournaments through¬out the years. In 2002, Nick Watney became just the sixth collegiate golfer to win back-to-back Classic titles. He joins the likes of Jerry Heard, Craig Stadler, Mike Brannan, Bobby Clampett and Sam Randolph.

Doverspike Posts a Double-Eagle
Grant Doverspike a junior from Bakersfield, Calif. finished tied for 13th place at the USC Invitational. Doverspike finished 1-over par 214 with rounds of 69-75-70. He also pulled off one of the rarest feats in golf. He made a two on the 522 yard par five 8th hole at the North Ranch Country Club. He blasted a 312 yard drive in the center of the fairway and then lofted a 5-iron 210 yards to the difficult front-hole location. The ball landed about 12 feet short of the hole, checked a bit, and then rolled into the cup at perfect speed. The double-eagle, also known as an albatross, is far rarer than a hole in one.

Bulldogs Top 10 Finishes
The Bulldogs have had one individual finish in the Top10.

Place- Name-Tournament-Scores
T2-Grant Doverspike-Pacific Invititational-66-74-70--210
T4-Grant Doverspike-Guistina Memorial-75-66-72--213

"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The Fresno State women's golf team will be back on the road when they play at the UNLV Spring Invitational on March 9-10 in Boulder City,Nev.