Ball State University Athletics
Watts, VanDeventer Top 10 on Day One at Firestone
October 07, 2014 | Men's Golf
AKRON, Ohio -- The Ball State men's golf team used a strong afternoon round Monday to make a move at the Firestone Invitational.
The Cardinals were in 12th place after the morning 18 holes but posted the third-best second-round score of any team in the field. With a total score of 595 (302-293), Ball State is tied for eighth place with one round to go on the North Course at Firestone Country Club.
Xavier leads the tournament as a team at 577 (+1), while Akron and USC Aiken are five shots back in a tie for second.
Freshmen Michael VanDeventer and Johnny Watts are the top Cardinals on the individual leaderboard in a tie for 10th place. Watts, competing this week as an individual, posted the team's best score of the day with a 1-under 71 in the first round. VanDeventer carded the team's best round in the afternoon at even-par 72.
With 36-hole totals of 145 (+1), VanDeventer and Watts are five off the lead. Kansas State's Seth Smith sits atop the leaderboard at 4 under par.
Reigning Mid-American Conference Golfer of the Week McCormick Clouser and Zach Yinger also turned in solid days for Ball State to find themselves in the top third of the field. Clouser is tied for 28th at 148 (75-73), while Yinger is tied for 33rd at 149 (75-74).
Michael Makris at 155 (81-74) and James Blackwell at 160 (79-81) round out the Ball State lineup.
The third and final round will get underway Tuesday morning. Ball State will be paired with Saint Mary's (Calif.) and Illinois State, going off the first tee at 8:30 a.m. Live scoring is available at birdiefire.com.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State men's golf, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateMGolf and @mikefleck on Twitter.
