Men’s Golf Looks for Strong Start at Wolf Run

A veteran Ball State men's golf team will open its 2017-18 season this weekend not far from home at Indiana's Wolf Run Intercollegiate in Zionsville.

The Cardinals are one of 16 teams in the field, including six squads the finished last year rated among Golfstat's top 100 and three that ended the season in the top 40.

When
Friday, Sept. 8-Sunday, Sept. 10 (18 holes each day)
*Ball State's first-round tee times begin Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Where
Wolf Run Golf Club (Zionsville, Ind.) -- Par 71; 7,155 yards
Often listed among the most challenging courses in the United States, Wolf Run will be hosting the tournament for the 10th time.

The Field (final 2016-17 Golfstat ranking)
NC State (34), Kentucky (35), UCF (36), North Texas (62), Arkansas State (87), East Carolina (94), Ball State (130), Indiana (131), Bowling Green (141), Western Kentucky (149), Southern Illinois (159), Toledo (163), Miami University (173), Fort Wayne (220), IUPUI (230), Xavier (255)

The Lineup (2016-17 stats)
1. Michael Makris, Sr. (74.15 avg., two top-10s)
2. Johnny Watts, Sr. (72.91 avg., five top-10s)
3. Michael VanDeventer, Sr. (74.00 avg., three top-10s, one win)
4. Timothy Wiseman, Jr. (73.97 avg., two top-10s)
5. Jack Cunningham, Fr. (three-time Indiana high school state finalist)
Individual: CJ Jones (six-time Kentucky high school state finalist, 2015 champion)

About The Cardinals
Ball State returns four players who competed in every tournament last season and helped the Cardinals to a runner-up finish at the Mid-American Conference Championships. That group -- Makris, Watts, VanDeventer and Wiseman -- has combined for more than 340 rounds of collegiate experience.

Makris, coming off his Indiana Amateur Championship over the summer, earned the No. 1 spot in the opening lineup after eight team qualifying rounds. He beat out two-time all-conference performer and 2015 MAC champion Johnny Watts for the top spot, which can only be a good sign for the team's depth.

VanDeventer is the third senior in the lineup and the only one of a talented BSU roster to win a college tournament last year, while Wiseman finished second among the Cardinals in stroke average a season ago as a sophomore.

In addition to that veteran crew, a pair of freshmen will make their debuts for coach Mike Fleck's Ball State squad. Jack Cunningham (Vincennes, Ind.) rounds out the lineup, while CJ Jones (Frankfort, Ky.) will compete as an individual.

Last Year at Wolf Run
The top four players in the Ball State lineup all competed last year at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate. Watts led that group with a tie for 29th place with a 36-hole total of 149 (+7) in the rain-shortened event.

Coming Up
The Wolf Run Intercollegiate is the first of six fall tournaments on Ball State's schedule, including three in the first two and a half weeks of the season. The Cardinals will play Sept. 16-17 at the EKU Intercollegiate and Sept. 24-26 against a strong national field at SMU's Trinity Forest Invitational.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jack Cunningham

CJ Jones

Michael Makris

Michael VanDeventer

Johnny Watts

Timothy Wiseman

Ball State University Athletics