Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Mason Rudolph Championship
Men?s Golf Climbs to Seventh at Mason Rudolph
April 04, 2016 | Men's Golf
LEADERBOARD
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- The Ball State men's golf team posted the third-best round of any team in the field Sunday to climb four spots into a tie for seventh at the Mason Rudolph Championship.
The Cardinals racked up 19 birdies on their way to an even-par round of 284 on the South Course at the Vanderbilt Legends Club. They finished the 54-hole event at 884 (+32), tying Lamar for the seventh spot.
No. 5 Vanderbilt finished at 847 (-5) to win by one shot over No. 7 Florida (-4). No. 4 Alabama (+9) finished third. The field included seven of the top 50 teams in the Golfweek national rankings, and Ball State finished ahead of two of them -- SMU and Liberty.
Michael VanDeventer led the Cardinals in the final round with a 69 (-2). He carded six birdies on the day, including five in a stretch of seven holes.
Ball State also counted a 71 from Johnny Watts and rounds of 72 from James Blackwell and Timothy Wiseman. The team's non-counting score was a 73 from Keegan McKinney.
Every Ball State player moved up the leaderboard in the final round. It was a balanced effort with all five players in the lineup finishing within five shots of each other.
Watts climbed into a tie for 24th with a total of 221 (+8). VanDeventer and McKinney finished one stroke behind him in a tie for 32nd at 222 (+9). Blackwell tied for 42nd at 224 (+11), and Wiseman rounded out the lineup in a tie for 49th at 225 (+12).
Florida claimed the top two positions on the individual leaderboard with Sam Horsfield (-7), the nation's sixth-ranked player, winning the tournament and Gordon Neal (-5) finishing runner-up.
Ball State's team score of 284 in the final round was its lowest of the season by five strokes. Only Florida (279) and Vanderbilt (281) were better on the day. The Cardinals recorded 37 birdies for the week, the fifth-most of any team in the tournament.
Ball State returns to action next weekend at Indiana's Hoosier Collegiate. The tournament begins Saturday at Otter Creek Golf Club in Columbus, Ind.
Ball State Scores
T7. Ball State, 884 (+32): 300-300-284
T24. Johnny Watts, 221 (+8): 78-72-71
T32. Michael VanDeventer, 222 (+9): 74-79-69
T32. Keegan McKinney, 222 (+9): 76-73-73
T42. James Blackwell, 224 (+11): 75-77-72
T49. Timothy Wiseman, 225 (+12): 75-78-72
Players Mentioned
