Tying for seventh out of 12 teams at the Rutherford Intercollegiate in Farmington, Pa., the Ball State University men's golf team began its fall season with a slow start.
Even though the Cardinals posted the third highest score in the third round, Ball State was unable to move much in the leader board. Overall, the Cardinals shot 44 over par, 37 strokes behind the winner, Purdue University. Ball State shot a team-combined score of 908 (307, 309, 292).
Coach Mike Fleck said the Cardinals never felt comfortable.
"Obviously our expectations were higher coming into the event," Fleck said. "The first two rounds were higher than we would have liked. The team just didn't get off to a good start and didn't play well. We never really got comfortable on the golf course. The greens were tricky and hard to get use to."
Although Fleck was disappointed with a seventh place finish, he said, he was pleased with his players' performance in the final round. The Cardinals shot 17 strokes better than in the second round.
"We put together a good third round that allowed us to move a few spots in the leader board," Fleck said. "I liked that the team continued to fight and gave a good consistent effort in the final round."
One worry for the Cardinals last season was starting tournaments well. Fleck hopes to see more concern early on in competition.
"It's something that can't easily be addressed. We just have to go out and play," Fleck said. "Not so much with a sense of urgency, but we have to know that every shot and every round is important. We just have to keep working at it and see if we can put ourselves in a better position."
Senior Brian Maurer was the best Cardinal, placing 16th individually. Maurer shot 76, 75 and 73, shooting eight over par.
"We got off to a slower start than we wanted," Maurer said. "We showed we can be on of the top teams with our third round score, but now we just have to do that for all 54 holes. I like the fact that we didn't give up though. We are mentally tough, and I commend my teammates for working hard. We could have given up, but we continued on."
Sophomore Eric Steger, who tied for 17th place, was glad Ball State finished on a high note.
"Overall, we had a solid tournament seeing as what we put ourselves into," he said. "As a team, it didn't go the way we wanted, but I definitely would rather finish the third round better than the first. It's motivation that can help us in our next tournament."
Despite the mediocre first tournament performance, Fleck said, he is moving on with a positive attitude.
"I am pleased with the mentality of my players after we got a few things figured out. We just have to build on that and continue to work hard," Fleck said. "I think we just need to continue to do the things we have been doing. We just need to prepare the best we can and be productive. The attitude is good. Guys are excited that we finished well. We have a lot of golf in front of us and will continue to fight. The key now is to get better each day and prepare for the next five tournaments the best we can."
Standings1. Purdue, 8712. Virginia Commonwealth, 8863. Penn State, 889,4. Miami, 8915. Missouri, 898,6. Xavier, 907T7. Ball State, 908T7. Bowling Green, 9088. Cleveland State, 91110. Marshall, 91711. Toledo, 91812. Richmond, 923
Ball State ScoresT16. Brian Maurer: 76, 75, 73 = 224
T17. Eric Steger: 80, 72, 73 = 225
T24. Andrew Rhodes: 74, 80, 73 = 227
T45. Ross Cosat: 78, 84, 73 = 235
T55. Matt Shumaker: 79, 82, 79 = 240
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