While the temperature slowly continues to drop in Indiana, Ball State's men's golf team will enjoy soaking up the sun as it travels to Fort Myers, Fla. to play Sunday and Monday in the Renaissance Invitational, its third tournament of the fall season.
Ball State had a week off to prepare for the tournament, giving each player ample time to work on his game. Coach Mike Fleck held qualifiers throughout the bye week to determine if any changes should be made to the lineup. Fleck made one change for the Renaissance Invitational, promoting T.J. Carpenter into the fifth spot previously held by Joe Gasser.
Carpenter said he worked hard all summer and into the fall season to earn a spot in the lineup.
"I kind of went through some swing changes this summer, and it just took me a while to get comfortable once I got into playing competition," Carpenter said. "(Tournaments are) different than practice. Of course you get under pressure, and you have to know what you can rely on.
"I got to a point where I knew my shot when I had a little pressure on me. My putter started coming around, and my score started going down. My confidence went through the roof and it just kept going from there. Hopefully I can keep it up this weekend."
The Cardinals finished sixth out of 12 in the Renaissance Invitational last season. Fleck said the team would have to adjust to Renaissance Golf Club's course to succeed.
"It's all about shot selection down there," Fleck said. "With the courses up here, you can just use your driver and swing away on most holes. With that course, it's about picking your spots and hitting them. The grass down there is Bermuda, so it's a little different then the courses in Indiana."
Regardless of the course conditions and Florida weather, Ball State's focus remains on improving.
"It's nice to go to Florida, but it's still a golf tournament," Carpenter said. "We have to kind of ignore the excitement and the conditions and focus on golf. Once we get out there, I think we'll turn into tournament mode, and it'll be like any other tournament."
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