The Ball State University men's golf team was reminded throughout the day Tuesday how crucial putting is in the game of golf.
Despite the struggles with the short game, the Cardinals placed second in the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational at the Delaware Country Club. The 54-hole, 12-team event is Ball State's only home tournament and was the Cardinals best finish of the fall season.
"We didn't make a putt all day," coach Mike Fleck said. "It was what I would call 'a gutsy type of day.' We hit the greens, but turned the edge of the hole all day long. It was certainly a patience type of day. We got on the backside of holes 10-14 and hit good shots off the green, but unfortunately we didn't get anything to fall in. It was definitely nerve raking."
Ball State shot 26-over par, carding scores of 290, 286 and 290. Eastern Kentucky University won the invitational with a team-combined score of 857. The Cardinals fell nine strokes short of victory, shooting a three round total of 866. Ball State beat Mid-American Conference opponents Northern Illinois University, Bowling Green State University and Ohio University.
"From a scoring perspective our team did well," Fleck said. "Guys one-12 on the roster did a good job and got it done. We have a few mental breakdowns and attitudes that I didn't care for but that's golf. Other than that I cannot be too discouraged by what my players did the last two days. As a team they did well."
Senior Brian Maurer led all Cardinals tying for second place individually. Maurer shot a team-low 66 in the second round and was the only Cardinal who posted a three round total under par. He shot a 209, finishing one-under par.
"We are pleased to get second," Maurer said. "Our goal was to win, but we can use this tournament to learn and get better. We played consistent, but the bottom-line is that we have to get better. If we do that I have the most confidence we can get the job done. Despite the up and down season I know we can do big things. As long as we are playing together in May that is all that matters."
The next tournament for the Cardinals is Oct. 13-14 at the Xavier Invitational in Loveland, Ohio. With the next three weeks off, Fleck said he hopes to see the players take advantage of the time off to practice and prepare for the rest of the fall season.
"We have another month ahead of us," Fleck said. "The tournaments will be more spaced out for us and we will be able to get some good qualifying and practice in. We just have to continue to push forward and play to our best ability and see what happens in the next two events."
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