Earlier this season, Ball State head coach Mike Fleck repeatedly noted that the most important thing for his squad was getting to a place where the team was regularly counting three to four quality scores in tournament play.
That is exactly what the Cardinals did during their trip to Dorado, Puerto Rico, where they recorded the lowest score relative to par in program history with four players finishing within the top 30 on the competition’s individual leaderboard.
“We’ve got a talented group,” Fleck said. “We have some really good players throughout the roster, so it was nice to experience that talent thrive this week.”
Day one of the Dorado Beach Collegiate was headlined by depth across the board for Ball State, with all five Cardinals finishing the round under par. Junior Kash Bellar and freshman Alec Cesare both finished the opening round tied for 14th place individually, going for scores of 68 (4-under-par) apiece.
“We showcased our depth this week; all five guys connected,” Fleck said. “I think that shows the potential of what we’re capable of doing when we have several guys playing well at the same time.”
In the second round, three out of five Cardinals improved their scores from the previous round, with Bellar advancing to 4th place individually, swinging for a score of 65 (7-under-par). Bellar’s second-round total places him in the Ball State record books with the second-lowest score relative to par in program history.
Finishing the round with a score of 272 as a team, Ball State finished with its lowest scoring round since the 2005 Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational. Totaling 16 strokes under par, the Cardinals closed the competition with their best round ever, commensurate with an event’s total par count.
“This is definitely the best team I’ve been a part of since I’ve been here,” Bellar said. “We’re starting to get to a good place where I think we can go to the MAC and really contend.”
Sunday - Round One
Ball State finished its opening round at TPC Dorado Beach in 4th place, with Alec Cesare stepping up from the Cardinals’ No. 5 position within their lineup to lead the team in scoring along with Bellar.
Junior Ali Khan followed closely behind with a first-round total of 69 (3-under-par). Junior Braxton Kuntz and freshman Carter Smith rounded out scoring for the Cardinals with scores of 71 (1-under-par) each.
Counting individual golfers, Ball State closed round one with six out of seven competitors finishing below par.
Monday - Round Two
Clear skies on day one gave way to several rain stoppages on day two as the Cardinals began their uphill climb to compete with the competition’s host and leader, UNCG.
Fleck joked that the team is used to playing in tough conditions coming from the Midwest, so a little rain really didn’t really play a big role for the Cardinals.
“I think the biggest thing was getting adjusted to the Bermuda grass,” Fleck said. “Having the opportunity (to practice) for a couple days on the front end really helped with that adjustment.”
Building on his play from Sunday, Bellar led the Cardinals through round two, with Smith and Khan also improving their opening round scores by 3 strokes and 1 stroke, respectively.
“I’ve definitely gotten more consistent as a player,” Bellar said. “A lot of the stuff I’ve been doing this offseason is starting to pay off.”
Ball State finished the second round in second place, nine strokes behind Greensboro.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals did not get the chance to compete for the championship as the third round was canceled due to rain on Tuesday morning.
“We wanted to play today,” Fleck said. “I think the thing we wanted more than anything was to have the chance to chase down Greensburg and maybe establish a 54-hole scoring record. The guys were excited about the opportunity, but unfortunately, mother nature won out.”
Ball State hits the road again on Monday, Mar. 11, when the Cardinals travel to Opelika, Alabama, for Auburn’s two-day Tiger Invitational.
Contact Nick Shelton with comments via email at nicholas.shelton@bsu.edu or on X @NickS9954
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