Ball State University Athletics
Men's Golf Opens Fall at Northern Intercollegiate
September 06, 2012 | Men's Golf
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State men's golf team will begin the fall portion of its 2012-13 season this weekend with a trip to Sugar Grove, Ill., for the Northern Intercollegiate hosted by Northern Illinois.
The tournament, which will be played at the 7,218-yard, par-71 Rich Harvest Farms Golf Club, features 36 holes on Saturday and 18 on Sunday. Live scoring for the event will be available at golfstat.com.
Ball State junior Tyler Merkel tied for medalist honors at last year's Northern Intercollegiate. Merkel, an NCAA Regional participant and All-Mid-American Conference selection in 2012, will lead the Cardinals against a talented field that includes four NCAA Championship qualifying teams from a season ago.
Seniors Joe Gasser, Brodie Williams, Alex Stinson and Tony Lazzara join Merkel in this weekend's lineup for 14th-year head coach Mike Fleck, while Ball State freshmen James Blackwell and Tyler Ostrom will compete as individuals. The Cardinals are part of the first group of tee times for Saturday's opening round beginning at 7:27 a.m. CT (8:27 a.m. ET).
In addition to Ball State and host Northern Illinois, the challenging 12-team field at this weekend's tournament also includes Augusta State, Indiana, Iowa State, Liberty, Michigan State, Purdue, Saint Mary's (Calif.), UCF, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
Nine of those teams finished the 2011-12 year among the top 60 in the Golfstat rankings, while four -- Liberty, UCF, Virginia and Virginia Tech -- were among the 30-team field at last spring's NCAA Championship at Riviera Country Club. Augusta State won back-to-back national championships in 2010 and 2011.
Ball State placed fourth as a team at last year's Northern Intercollegiate, one of six top-five team finishes in 2011-12. UCF won last year's event.
This weekend marks the first of five fall tournaments for Ball State, including the Cardinals' own Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational, which is scheduled for Oct. 15-16 at Delaware Country Club in Muncie.
Players Mentioned
