By Bill Sheehan 

For Dalton Daniel, the enormity of the novel coronavirus crisis became evident three weeks ago on a trip to Arizona. 

Daniel, a Cal State Fullerton golfer, and his teammates traveled to Phoenix for a tournament on Wednesday, March 11. During the flight, they learned their university would be shifting to virtual instruction because of the Covid-19 outbreak. That same day, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic and the NBA suspended its season. 

The next morning, Fullerton's golfers gathered at Grand Canyon University Golf Course for a practice round on the eve of the two-day tournament. "We were at the range while the coaches were at a meeting," said Daniel, a junior from Newcastle, Okla., who competed as the team's No. 3 player. "A Texas San Antonio coach came out to talk to his team, then they all got in a van and left. Then another team left."

As word spread that the tournament had been canceled, the Titan golfers moved from the putting green to the first hole. That's where Titans head coach Jason Drotter found them and confirmed the event had been scrapped. 

They returned home that evening and were informed that all sports had been suspended indefinitely. A day later at a team meeting, Drotter said the season had been canceled. The younger golfers said goodbye to the seniors. 

As the Covid-19 infections and fatalities climb sharply and millions of Americans file for unemployment, sports rightly have taken a back seat. Still, thousands of college student-athletes saw their season – and their dreams – disappear overnight. 

"Things really snowballed in 48 hours," said Daniel, recalling his Arizona trip. A few days afterward, Daniel was informed he would have to vacate his dormitory apartment in less than a week. On Friday, March 20, he packed his vehicle and headed back to Oklahoma. "I was afraid I might get stuck in California. If I'm going to be locked down, I'd rather be at home with my family," he said. 

A time for reflection while on the road 

While en route home, the 21-year-old reflected on his unfulfilled hopes. "While I was driving, I listened to the radio and thought about the year and how it could have been. And I thought about how things were going to play out now," said Daniel, who spent one night at a motel in Gallop, N.M. 

A year ago, Daniel had excelled as a sophomore, notching four top-10 finishes and becoming a key member of the Titans' Big West Championship team. But he struggled early this season, slicing the ball to the right. 

"I was consistent enough to play good golf. But if you don't know where the ball is going, it's hard to stay out of trouble," he said. 

Daniel worked hard during the winter break on his draw shot, in which the ball curves to the left for a right-handed golfer. He credited Drotter, who is in his 12th year leading the program, and volunteer coach Josh Park with improving his swing. "They both helped me out a lot," he said. 

In addition, Daniel said Titans strength and conditioning graduate assistant Dalton Sherwood has increased his teammates' weight-lifting prowess. And he credits Brian Cain, a sports psychologist, for introducing methods to help him focus. 

"You don't realize how mentally tough the game is until you get to these extremely high levels," said Daniel. "With the expectations and pressure of tournaments, you really need to be mentally sharp." 

Dalton Daniel, a junior from Newcastle, Okla., is majoring in kinesiology. He plans to give professional golf a try and eventually attend chiropractic school. Photo by Bill Sheehan 

He started to regain his form in Hawaii 

Daniel shook off a bad cold in late February to shoot 71-74-75 at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate on the Wailua Golf Course on Kaua'i, Hawaii. He was the second-best Titan finisher while tying for 47th. 

At the Sacramento State Invitational In early March, he fired a 76-73-70 to tie for fourth overall, just behind the Titans' No. 1 player Derek Castillo (first place) and No. 2 Jack Dyer (third place), as the Titans won the team title. 

"He really looked good at the Sacramento State tournament and played at a level that he is fully capable of," Drotter said a few days after the event. "He has a good game top to bottom. He is solid around the greens and is a great putter." 

Daniel, who uses a blade putter and plays the Titleist Pro V1x golf ball, lowered his scoring average to 74. He figured he had turned a corner and was looking forward to Phoenix. And then the coronavirus reverberated across his academic and athletic worlds. 

The Daniel family is observing the "Safer at Home" order in Newcastle, a city of 10,000 people that is 16 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. Newcastle is in Tornado Alley. In 2013, a tornado that killed 24 people and injured 212, touched down in Newcastle before ravaging the city of Moore. 

"It's been crazy how the coronavirus is affecting everyone in the state," Daniels said of Oklahoma, which has had 719 confirmed coronavirus cases and up to 30 deaths. "I just hope everyone can stay healthy. 

Daniel's parents, Stacey and Bart, are both educators. Stacey is a middle school science teacher and Bart is a grammar school principal. Daniel has an older sister, Halie, who is a lab specialist in research and design as well as quality control. He also has a younger brother, Dillon, and a younger sister, Madalyn. 

'We're hanging out' at Oklahoma home 

"We're hanging out at home," said Daniel. "My mother has given out her school assignments. My parents are both awaiting word from the school board on how things are going to proceed. The public schools here don't have a lot of funding and don't have access to advanced technology." 

A kinesiology major, Daniel said his classes online are going well. "I had three online classes to begin with, so I'm used to that format," he said. "I think people struggled a bit the first week, but everything is smoothing out." 

The 5-foot-10 Daniel hasn't walked away from golf. He has been hitting short irons in a pasture on his family's 20-acre spread. And he keeps in touch with his fellow Titan golfers in a team Skype session each Monday. 

Dyer, who was Daniel's roommate the past two years, also had to scramble after returning from Arizona. A Briton who resides in Leigh-on-Sea, a town 40 miles east of London, he returned home on a trans-Atlantic flight last Wednesday. 

"I quickly sold my car. I was allowed to stay in the dormitory longer, but I had to get takeout from restaurants. And I had the strangest experience the day I left. It took just 30 minutes to get to LAX – it usually takes an hour. Barely anything was open there, and it just took two minutes to check in. The plane was less than half full," said the 22-year-old senior. 

His father Chris is a retired businessman. His mother Lucy is an assistant at a tutoring center, and his sister Jess is a personal assistant for a London-based recruiting company. They are both working from home. 

Dalton Daniel hits some golf balls in a pasture on his family's 20-acre spread in Oklahoma. #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/boKpoXEUwX

— Titans Athletics (@FullertonTitans) April 1, 2020

Swinging a 7-iron in his backyard in Britain 

Like Daniel, Dyer hasn't abandoned his sport. "I'm using my 7-iron to hit balls into a dust sheet hanging from a washing line in my backyard. And I bought a putting matt for inside," said Dyer. 

On Monday, the NCAA Division I Council voted to permit Div. 1 spring sport athletes -- including Dyer – who had their seasons curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic to have an additional year of eligibility. The action gives spring sports athletes, regardless of their year in school, a way to get back the season they lost. It didn't, however, guarantee financial aid to the current crop of seniors if they return to play next season. 

"I would love to come back to Fullerton, but, I also had been looking forward to coming back to England and now that time is finally here," said Dyer, who said he would be weighing his options. Though he has to deal with an eight-hour time difference, he is completing his classes online and will graduate this spring with a business degree in entrepreneurship. 

Being the only two non-Californians on the team, Dyer said he and Daniel bonded early on. "He helped me settle I when I first got to Fullerton," Dyer said. "Dalton is very dedicated and one of the hardest workers on the team He is the fittest golfer and encouraged many of us to spend more time at the gym." 

Daniel has had a golf club in his hands most of his life. "I bought a plastic set of golf clubs when he was 2 or 3 years old. I don't remember him putting the clubs down," said his father Bart. Daniel began using men's clubs as a 7-year-old and was competing in youth tournaments at age 8. 

Bart had played linebacker at the University of Oklahoma and figured his son would play football too. But gradually it became apparent that golf would be his game. 

"From age 10 to 18, he would spend hours and hours of training," Bart recalled. "Every summer, we would drop him off at the golf course at 7 a.m. and pick him up at 5, five days a week." 

In his daily routine at the Barlywine Park Golf Course outside Newcastle, Daniel spent two hours on the putting green and two hours on the driving range prior to lunch. Then he would practice chipping for two hours before playing a round. "The club officials got to know him well, praised his golf etiquette and told me that Dalton was welcome there anytime," his father said. 

"Dalton was self-taught; he never had swing coach until high school," said Bart. "When he was in junior high and high school, he began giving older guys tips on equipment and helped them with their swings and putting, and he never took a dime for it."

Winner of more than 80 tournaments, including a state title 

Daniel won more than 80 tournaments in high school and junior golf. He was the No. 1 golfer on the varsity for all four years at Newcastle High School. 

As a senior, he won the Class 4A boys state championship. At the Lake Hefner Golf Club's North Course, he carded a 68-65-67 to finish 16 under par and win by 11 strokes. "I had finished second as a sophomore and fourth as a junior, but I finally broke out and played well," said Daniel. 

Titans head coach Drotter contacted Daniel early in his senior year, and he and his mother came out for a visit. "I really enjoyed it. The weather was fantastic – 75 and sunny. The campus was extremely nice with the palm trees. And I hit it off with Coach Drotter. He shares my interest in hunting and fishing," he said. 

Daniel also looked at some Big 10 school and Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, but he "couldn't get California out of his head," his father said. "We did want him to stay closer to home. But he had an incredible visit to Fullerton and really believed in Coach Drotter." 

"I factored everything in, including the weather and the travel. I was excited for the opportunity to see different courses up and down the West Coast and in Hawaii. I thought it would be a great opportunity to come out and see and experience different things," said Daniel, who said his favorite course is The Olympic Club in San Francisco. 

The adjustment from small-town living to the hustle and bustle of Southern California took a while. "It was difficult in the first few weeks, not knowing anyone or having any friends or family out here. I had never seen an interstate with six lanes." 

Daniel added that he comes "from a very conservative state in the Bible Belt, where many people are Republicans and religious." He said it's been a really good experience being exposed to a lot of different cultures in California. 

"It's been an amazing journey watching him interact with people and see his confidence grow. He stuttered and was shy, but golf really brought him out of his shell," his father said. "He is so dedicated to his vision of becoming a pro golfer, but he takes care of his academics." 

In fact, he was named to the Big West Commissioner's 2019 Honor Roll. Daniel was a "With Honors" recipient for earning a grade point average in the 3.21-3.50 range. 

Daniel, who plans to attend chiropractic school in Dallas after giving professional golf a try, is looking forward to his senior year. "I've grown close to the guys on our team. And I would not trade Coach Drotter for any other coach on the planet. He is passionate about the game and our team. And he does everything to help us be successful."