Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Earl Yestingsmeier Memorial Invitational
Men's Golf Claims Yestingsmeier Memorial Title
April 16, 2016 | Men's Golf
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State men's golf team overcame a slow start Saturday and held off Cleveland State for a seven-stroke win at the Earl Yestingsmeier Memorial Invitational.
Johnny Watts birdied four of his final five holes to help keep the Cardinals in front as he made a furious rally up the individual leaderboard.
Watts and Keegan McKinney, the overnight leader, both finished at 215 (+5) for the tournament, one shot behind individual medalist Ryan Wenzler of Wright State. Jared Magoline of Valparaiso made it a three-way tie for second.
The weather was perfect Saturday, but tough pin locations made for a challenging day of golf at Delaware Country Club.
Ball State entered the final round with a seven-stroke lead and ended it with the same margin, but it never felt comfortable until the end. Cleveland State surged ahead by a small margin near the turn, and the teams jockeyed back and forth until the Cardinals pulled away on the closing holes.
BSU finished the 54-hole event with a total of 1,086 (+36) in this week's six-count-five format. Cleveland State (+43) maintained second in the 12-team field, while Dayton (+46), Valparaiso (+56) and IPFW (+59) rounded out the top five.
The Cardinals counted a 71 from Watts, a 72 from Timothy Wiseman, a 74 from Michael VanDeventer and a pair of 75's from McKinney and James Blackwell in the final round.
VanDeventer tied for 12th at 219 (+9) for the tournament, while Blackwell finished 18th at 221 (+11) to give Ball State four among the top 20. Wiseman led the field with 13 birdies for the event, while Blackwell was just one behind him.
Some of Ball State's best scores Saturday came from its "B" team, which posted the fifth-best score of the final round at 368 (+18).
Tyler Pearson's even-par 70 was the best score of the day by any Ball State golfer, while Tyler Ostrom and Derek Kundenreich both carded 71's. Kundenreich opened his day with a bogey and then proceeded to make 17 consecutive pars.
Pearson led the "B" team with a tie for 26th place at 223 (+13). Watts' runner-up finish was his second of the season and his fourth top-5.
The Earl Yestingsmeier Memorial Invitational is named in honor of the long-time Ball State men's golf coach and sports information director, who passed away in 2014 at age 80.
This week's event was the Cardinals' final tune-up for the Mid-American Conference Championships, which will be played April 28-30 at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio.
Ball State Scores
1. Ball State "A", 1,086 (+36): 360-359-367
T2. Johnny Watts, 215 (+5): 69-75-71
T2. Keegan McKinney, 215 (+5): 72-68-75
T12. Michael VanDeventer, 219 (+9): 72-73-74
18. James Blackwell, 221 (+11): 72-74-75
T26. Timothy Wiseman, 223 (+13): 80-71-72
T35. Michael Makris, 225 (+15): 75-73-77
T9. Ball State "B", 1,136 (+86): 389-379-368
T26. Tyler Pearson, 223 (+13): 77-76-70
T31. Tyler Ostrom, 224 (+14): 77-76-71
T35. Derek Kundenreich, 225 (+15): 81-73-71
T44. Colin Proctor, 228 (+18): 76-74-78
T68. Albert Jennings, 238 (+28): 78-81-79
71. Quentyn Carpenter, 243 (+33): 85-80-78
Players Mentioned
