Photo courtesy of Athletic Media Relations

Grant Doverspike used to hear a mantra from his father as a young golfer in Bakersfield.

“It’s not in the air but the Indian.â€Â

It meant the game is not in the clubs used but in the talent and strength of the player.

This wisdom may have been hard to swallow for Doverspike in his journey to win the 2007 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship, exhibiting one of his best performances with a set of borrowed clubs.

In April of last year, the week before he was to go to the WAC Championship in Reno, Doverspike was staying in the dorms where friend and teammate Mark Pryor lived.

That particular night, he left his clubs in the cab of his Ford F-150 and the next day, was shocked to discover the window smashed and the entire set gone.

That week, he managed to compile a collection from friends and a putter from his mom.

Many of them were old and used, different from the pride and joy that had helped him excel since his sophomore year in high school.

Nevertheless, he couldn̢۪t have been more on his game the week of the WAC Championship.

With the extra driver that he borrowed from Pryor, he was able to add 50 extra yards to his drives in some cases.

With a new set of clubs and another season underway, the sophomore is proving himself more with his talent and ambition than with the equipment he carries.

He was the first Bulldog to have been named WAC Golfer of the month and took second place at the Pacific Invitation in November, finishing just three strokes shy of winning.

Since last season, he has brought his average from 72.80 strokes per round down to 71.4, the lowest on the team.

Doverspike̢۪s love for golf began early when he would tag along with his older brother Ryan after school to practice.

Before long, he was taking his own knack to the game.

“He and I would play and we would pretend like we were competing in the Masters,â€Â said his brother who went on to play golf at Point Loma University.

Ryan described Grant as very competitive and athletic.

When attending Stockdale High School in Bakersfield, these traits became even more pronounced as he won two FCWT National Tournaments and placed seventh in Boys Scottish Junior Amateur.

In his first year at Fresno State, Doverspike played in 11 tournaments, had five rounds with scores in the 60s and received the team̢۪s Most Outstanding Award and Outstanding Freshman.

“Grant is a very good player,â€Â said coach Mike Watney. “His consistency has improved a lot.â€Â

Teammates say that his greatest strength on the course is his drive, which could easily rival those of any professional.

Doverspike said that his short game has improved as well and, perhaps more importantly, his confidence.

These days, he doesn̢۪t even get nervous before a match.

The trick is “having a mindset that I can beat all these players and to be calm about it,â€Â Doverspike said.

According to friend and teammate Todd Angel, he already brings out the confidence in others.

Angel added that Doverspike only needs a little more experience to maintain his cool on the green, in spite of the inevitable slip-ups.

Off the course, he is described a guy with a positive attitude who is easy to get along with.

“He’s pretty funny,â€Â said Doverspike’s teammate, junior Matt Ryan. “Whenever he’s around, he’s guaranteed to make you laugh.â€Â

Doverspike is a communication major who is keeping his options open for the future.

He chose his field in part because it offers him alternatives between many career options, while not ruling out the opportunity to play professional golf.

Watney and several teammates agree that he has the potential to take his game well beyond the college level.

According to Doverspike, it is only by relentless practice that he has reached this level. He does something related to golf every day.

Aside from this workout and a full-time school schedule, Doverspike still manages to squeeze in time for fun and hanging out with friends.

“We’re all pretty good friends,â€Â Pryor said. Pryor is also from Doverspike’s hometown of Bakersfield.

Currently, the team is completing the qualifying rounds to determine who will go to the CSU San Marcos Cougar Invitational on Feb. 11.

Five of the team̢۪s top players will be selected to attend the tournament in Bonsail, California where they will face off against schools such as UCLA.

Although the team didn̢۪t make it to the NCAA Tournament last year, there is a lot of optimism about reaching that goal in the 2008 season.

“I want to make it my duty to take our team national this year,â€Â said Doverspike, who names some of his influences as favorite pro golfer Davis Love III and his parents.

Watching golf on T.V. hasn̢۪t helped Doverspike. He said that one doesn̢۪t learn golf by observing someone else̢۪s game. It requires a hands-on approach to the get the feel for it.

As far as future plans go, Doverspike has more short term ambitions in mind.. After his four years of college golf are up, he wants to spend his last year studying abroad.

He hopes that he can scope out some of the golf courses in Europe without the pressures of competition, with the hope that one day he might be competing.

The Bulldogs open their season at the CSU San Marcos Invitational Monday in Bonsall, Calif.