Ball State University Athletics
Men's Golf Ready to Host Earl Yestingsmeier Invite
October 13, 2012 | Men's Golf
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State men's golf program will host its annual home tournament, the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational, Monday and Tuesday at Delaware Country Club.
The tournament has undergone a change in format from previous years and is now an individual event. There will be no team scoring, but a total of 47 individuals from nine schools will compete for the tournament crown.
The following teams will be represented with their number of participants in parentheses: Ball State (9), Bowling Green (4), Indiana (4), Iowa (3), IUPUI (10), Notre Dame (4), Northern Illinois (4), Ohio (6) and Toledo (3).
The 54-hole tournament will be played over two days on the par-70, 6,438-yard layout at Delaware Country Club. The first 36 holes are scheduled for Monday with the final 18 slated for Tuesday. The action both days will begin with a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
Updated results will be available at the conclusion of each day on ballstatesports.com.
The nine Ball State golfers in the field are Tyler Merkel, Joe Gasser, Tony Lazzara, Alex Stinson, Brodie Williams, James Blackwell, Tyler Ostrom, Zach Yinger and Albert Jennings.
Merkel is the reigning Mid-American Conference Men's Golfer of the Week after leading Ball State to first place in a 17-team field at the Firestone Invitational earlier this week. He finished second individually and was followed closely by Gasser in a tie for third. Lazzara tied for 12th and Stinson tied for 17th as the Cardinals placed four golfers among the top 20.
Ball State's home tournament is named in honor of Earl Yestingsmeier, who spent 31 seasons as head men's golf coach for the Cardinals, including 28 years in a dual role as sports information director and golf coach. The team's most avid fan, Yestingsmeier still rarely misses a Ball State golf tournament, home or away.
The Cardinals have hosted their tournament since the 1974-75 season, but this is the first time it will feature only an individual format.
Previously known as the Ball State Invitational, the event was re-named in Yestingsmeier's honor beginning with the 2001-02 season.
