NAPA, Calif. – Saint Mary's alumnus, Blake Hathcoat, has qualified for the PGA's Fortinet Championship, taking place at the Silverado Golf Course from September 14-17.
 
Hathcoat qualified for the Fortinet at the Yolo Flyers Club in Woodland, Calif with a commanding 7-under par, 65-stroke performance. There were four spots available, and Hathcoat cruised to the top and secured his place in the event.
 
Hathcoat will play on Thursday and Friday with the potential to play on Saturday and Sunday if he makes the cut. He tees off on Thursday at 2:17 p.m. PDT and Friday at 9:07 a.m. PDT. Fans can follow all the action on NBC Golf Channel or ESPN+.
 
The Fortinet is the first tournament of the 2023-24 PGA Tour season which begins this week at the renowned Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, with some of the biggest names in professional golf participating. The tournament will take place on the North Course, a classic layout featuring tree-lined fairways, grand bunkers, and streams that wander through the property.
 
Hathcoat's 2020-21 season was one for the record books at Saint Mary's. He finished with an average score of 71.28, his national scoring rating was 59th in the country, and he became one of three Gaels to win two tournaments in a season at The Goodwin and the La Purisma College Invite.  He had 25 rounds of par or better that season, good for third in SMC program history.
 
The Fresno, Calif. native's 2018-19 season was pretty spectacular too, racking up 133 birdies, winning the Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic, having a scoring average of 71.74, and playing 21 rounds of par or better.
 
Ben Geyer was the last Gael to play in the PGA Tour event at Silverado. Max Homa, a six-time PGA Tour winner, is the defending champion.
 
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