Photo by: Jeff Harwell
CJ Jones in the Hunt at MAC Men’s Golf Championships
April 27, 2019 | Men's Golf
Cardinals will enter final round in eighth place after 36 tough holes Saturday
AURORA, Ohio -- Ball State sophomore CJ Jones tore up the par-5's Saturday to put himself in contention at the MAC Men's Golf Championships, but the Cardinals couldn't find their footing as a team on a sloppy day at Club Walden.
Jones played the par-5's at 6 under par over the day's 36 holes, the best of any player in the field, on the strength of four birdies and an eagle. After a 2-under 70 in the afternoon, he will enter Sunday's final round tied for third place at even-par, five strokes behind Duncan McNeill from Toledo and two back of 2017 league champion Gisli Sveinbergsson from Kent State.
After Friday's action was completely washed out, the teams were able to complete two full rounds Saturday (the event has been shortened to 54 holes). Cold, windy weather early in the morning gave way to friendlier conditions as the day progressed, but nothing could dry out a course that was already saturated well before Friday's rains.
That meant to two scenarios if you didn't find the fairway. One, the ball would plug so deep that it was difficult to find, but at least you could clean it and drop it if you could locate it. Or two, the ball didn't plug but likely collected mud that might affect the next shot.
Two teams, though, seemed to have much less trouble than the rest, and they were the highest-ranked teams in the field. Kent State and Eastern Michigan finished the day tied at the top at 581 (+5), 16 shots clear of the rest of the field.
By contrast, the other seven teams are separated by just 12 shots. Ball State is eighth at 604 (+28) after rounds of 307 and 297. Opportunities for the Cardinals to make moves stalled out in the back nine of both rounds Saturday.
BSU senior Timothy Wiseman had his share of success on the par 5's, as well, playing them in 4 under par, but the rest of the Cardinals could not take advantage of the scoring chances those holes offered.
Wiseman, who tied for third a year ago, is tied for 13th at 5 over par. He rebounded from a triple bogey on his fourth hole of the day and played steady the rest of the way.
Joey Ranieri (+9) and Keegan Bronnenberg (+14) also provided a pair of counting rounds for Ball State on the day. Jack Cunningham and Yianni Kostouros split the action at the No. 5 position in the lineup under the newly adopted substitution rule.
The final round is scheduled for an 8:30 a.m. split tee start Sunday. The Cardinals will begin on the 10th hole, playing alongside Miami and Northern Illinois, two other teams that hoped to be in a better position entering the last day.
Top Teams
T1. Kent State, 581 (+5): 300-281
T1. Eastern Michigan, 581 (+5): 294-287
3. Toledo, 597 (+21): 303-294
4. Akron, 598 (+22): 311-287
5. Bowling Green, 602 (+26): 307-295
---
8. Ball State, 604 (+28): 307-297
Ball State Scores
T3. CJ Jones, 144 (E): 74-70
T13. Timothy Wiseman, 149 (+5): 75-74
T29. Joey Ranieri, 153 (+9): 76-77
T38. Keegan Bronnenberg, 158 (+14): 82-76
N/A. Yianni Kostouros, DNP-79
N/A. Jack Cunningham, 83-DNP
Jones played the par-5's at 6 under par over the day's 36 holes, the best of any player in the field, on the strength of four birdies and an eagle. After a 2-under 70 in the afternoon, he will enter Sunday's final round tied for third place at even-par, five strokes behind Duncan McNeill from Toledo and two back of 2017 league champion Gisli Sveinbergsson from Kent State.
After Friday's action was completely washed out, the teams were able to complete two full rounds Saturday (the event has been shortened to 54 holes). Cold, windy weather early in the morning gave way to friendlier conditions as the day progressed, but nothing could dry out a course that was already saturated well before Friday's rains.
That meant to two scenarios if you didn't find the fairway. One, the ball would plug so deep that it was difficult to find, but at least you could clean it and drop it if you could locate it. Or two, the ball didn't plug but likely collected mud that might affect the next shot.
Two teams, though, seemed to have much less trouble than the rest, and they were the highest-ranked teams in the field. Kent State and Eastern Michigan finished the day tied at the top at 581 (+5), 16 shots clear of the rest of the field.
By contrast, the other seven teams are separated by just 12 shots. Ball State is eighth at 604 (+28) after rounds of 307 and 297. Opportunities for the Cardinals to make moves stalled out in the back nine of both rounds Saturday.
BSU senior Timothy Wiseman had his share of success on the par 5's, as well, playing them in 4 under par, but the rest of the Cardinals could not take advantage of the scoring chances those holes offered.
Wiseman, who tied for third a year ago, is tied for 13th at 5 over par. He rebounded from a triple bogey on his fourth hole of the day and played steady the rest of the way.
Joey Ranieri (+9) and Keegan Bronnenberg (+14) also provided a pair of counting rounds for Ball State on the day. Jack Cunningham and Yianni Kostouros split the action at the No. 5 position in the lineup under the newly adopted substitution rule.
The final round is scheduled for an 8:30 a.m. split tee start Sunday. The Cardinals will begin on the 10th hole, playing alongside Miami and Northern Illinois, two other teams that hoped to be in a better position entering the last day.
Top Teams
T1. Kent State, 581 (+5): 300-281
T1. Eastern Michigan, 581 (+5): 294-287
3. Toledo, 597 (+21): 303-294
4. Akron, 598 (+22): 311-287
5. Bowling Green, 602 (+26): 307-295
---
8. Ball State, 604 (+28): 307-297
Ball State Scores
T3. CJ Jones, 144 (E): 74-70
T13. Timothy Wiseman, 149 (+5): 75-74
T29. Joey Ranieri, 153 (+9): 76-77
T38. Keegan Bronnenberg, 158 (+14): 82-76
N/A. Yianni Kostouros, DNP-79
N/A. Jack Cunningham, 83-DNP
Players Mentioned
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