Ball State University Athletics
Eastern Kentucky Rallies To Win Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational; EKU's Shaun McConnell Wins Medalist Honors In Playoff
October 06, 2006 | Men's Golf
2006 EY Final Round (pdf)
Eastern Kentucky's Jessie Massie rattled off a trio of birdies in his final nine holes to complete a come-from-behind victory as the Colonels passed three teams to win the 2006 Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational.
Massie used a stretch of four birdies in eight holes to catapault EKU into the lead. Massie fired a final-round 68, while teammate Shaun McConnell posted a final-round 71 to tie for medalist honors with Belmont's Jeff Lanier.
In a one-hole playoff, McConnell parred the par-four, 444-yard first hole to win the outright title. Lanier bogeyed the hole.
For Ball State, the Cardinals entered the day one stroke back and had erased that deficit through nine holes to match Detroit through much of the afternoon atop the leaderboard.
The back nine proved costly for the Cardinals and the Titans, however, which opened the door for Eastern Kentucky to climb the leaderboard.
As a team, Ball State and Detroit played the back nine at 10-over par.
"From a tournament standpoint, obviously the event was a success," said BSU head coach Mike Fleck. "From a team standpoint, we had a chance to win but couldn't finish."
Senior Austin Steele was BSU's top performer with rounds of 70-68-71 to tie for third overall. Senior Wayne Denger (72-66-72) tied for seventh, while senior C.D. Hockersmith (73-72-72) tied for 30th.
"Austin had a solid two days," Fleck says. "To finish in the top three and at under par for a 54-hole event is good. Overall, we have to work on our consistency and shooting scores closer to or under par. We did move in the right direction and I think showed what kind of team we can be."
Senior Andy Skillman (71-72-75) finished tied for 36th, while freshman Travis Smith (70-74-76) tied for 43rd.
Senior Kyle Cox, playing as an individual, tied for 16th overall with scores of 68-72-74.
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