Ball State University Athletics
Men?s Golf Hosts Top Teams at Sagamore Preview
October 10, 2014 | Men's Golf
MUNCIE, Ind. – Some of the top men's golf teams in the nation will visit central Indiana next week as the Ball State men's golf team hosts the Sagamore Fall Preview in Noblesville.
The 54-hole event begins Monday morning at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Sagamore Club, site of next spring's NCAA Noblesville Regional. Ball State and the Hamilton County Sports Authority are the Regional hosts.
Five of the nation's top-50 teams will compete in the Sagamore Fall Preview, including No. 1-ranked Illinois and No. 8 Auburn. Ball State will be paired with those two heavyweights for the first and second rounds.
“It is an incredible opportunity for us to host this event at a great golf course like The Sagamore Club,” Ball State coach Mike Fleck said. “We are extremely excited about the quality of the field with so many good teams. It also gives the Ball State community a chance to prepare for the Regional, which we are honored to host next May.”
The action begins Monday with a 9 a.m. shotgun start. The teams will play 36 holes on the opening day and then complete the tournament Tuesday with the final 18 holes. Live scoring throughout the event is available at golfstat.com.
Ball State is one of three programs from the state of Indiana in the 14-team tournament, along with No. 49 Purdue and Indiana. The field also includes No. 34 UAB, No. 48 Louisville, Akron, Eastern Michigan, FGCU, Kansas, NIU, Toledo and Xavier.
Ball State's lineup for the week will feature a pair of seniors in McCormick Clouser and Zach Yinger, plus a trio of freshmen in Michael Makris, Michael VanDeventer and Johnny Watts. James Blackwell and Derek Kundenreich will compete as individuals for the Cardinals.
Clouser claimed medalist honors two weeks ago at Notre Dame's Fighting Irish Classic, while VanDeventer led Ball State earlier this week with a seventh-place finish at the Firestone Invitational. Watts, a product of Fishers, Ind., and Hamilton Southeastern High School, tied for 16th at that event, while the Cardinals were sixth as a team.
Ball State, the Hamilton County Sports Authority and The Sagamore Club will host one of the six 2015 NCAA Men's Golf Regionals in the spring. The Noblesville Regional will be contested May 14-16 with the top five teams advancing to the NCAA Finals.
Former Ball State men's golfer Dan Witt is the PGA Professional at Sagamore, which hosted the NCAA Division II Championship in 2010. Witt lettered for the Cardinals under Fleck from 1999-2002.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State men's golf, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateMGolf and @mikefleck on Twitter.
