Believing the results would improve, the Ball State University men's golf team came away with a disappointing last place finish out of 12 teams at the Herb Wimberly Invitational in Las Cruses, New Mexico.
Despite shooting a 294 in the first round, the Cardinals posted a 326 in the second round, putting them in a tough position. Host team New Mexico State University came away with the victory, shooting a team combined score of 851.
Ball State finished with a 913, 62 strokes behind first place.
"Obviously there wasn't a whole lot I saw," coach Mike Fleck said. "We were just way too inconsistent again. There is no other way to describe it."
Though New Mexico offered better weather than the 49er Classic in North Carolina, the Cardinals were unable to perform to their potential.
"The weather was really nice the first 12 or 13 holes as we shot a 294 in the first round," Fleck said. "But in the afternoon I couldn't tell you what happened. It was the most perplexing thing for me as a coach because I have no idea what we're doing when we go out and do that. It's a mystery."
Emphasizing the short game, Fleck and his players realize this is a big concern. Struggling all season, Fleck said it has been holding them back all fall.
"All of us as a whole need to work on our short game," said Ben Lakoff, who joined the five-player squad after C.D.
Hockersmith said he didn't deserve to play due to poor qualifying. "Everyone thought they would do better. We could have really came out here and came away with a win with
our potential."
Fleck believes the team needs to progress mentally.
"Mentally, we are nowhere close to where we need to be," Fleck said. "Instead of thinking about one shot at a time, their mind wanders. They get way too caught up in the results rather than the thought of executing. There are some areas we are deficient in and we have to do whatever it takes this winter to get everybody on track."
Senior Wayne Denger, who finished fourth individually last week, placed 40th yesterday, shooting a 75, 78 and 74. Andy Skillman placed 45th, with the rest of the team finishing under 54th place.
"It was weird being out west," Denger said. "I haven't been past St. Louis so we were kind of at a disadvantage on the greens. It was just one of those weeks, but maybe one of these days it will work out for itself."
Though the Herb Wimberly Invitational puts a damper on the Cardinals' fall, Fleck understands that it has been a long season.
By taking a few weeks off until Thanksgiving, Fleck will be preparing for off-season weight training.
"We have a lot of things to address," Fleck said. "We are not a very good team from a standpoint of being consistent. Even if our top players are going out and performing, we need a
supporting cast."
Though Fleck believes any of his 11 players can position themselves in the lineup,
uncertainty looms.
"We have to work on getting things leveled out," Fleck said. "Chris Taylor [Director of GameDay Experience and Electronic Media] informed me Austin Steele [who finished 54th] beat three Miami (Ohio) players [Miami finished 11th]. You can't have your best player finish 40th. We have better players than that, but that is absolutely unacceptable."
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