Cardinals Finish 11th at Badger Invitational as Bellar Flirts with Individual Title
October 03, 2023 | Men's Golf
MADISON, Wis. – Kash Bellar finished in a fourth-place tie and Ball State golfers finished tied for 11th as a team as the Badger Invitational came to a close Tuesday afternoon at University Ridge Golf Course.
After nine holes of Tuesday's final round, Bellar gained a one-stroke lead atop the leaderboard following birdies on the 10th, 11th and 12th holes. Beginning the day on the fourth hole as part of a shotgun start, Bellar shot par on six straight holes to finish the back nine. Back at the first hole with just three to play, he bogeyed the par-4 first, then bogeyed the par-3 third to finish with an even card of 72.
South Alabama's Joshua Hill birdied six holes in the final round while shooting a 5-under par 67 to come from behind and take the individual title. Bellar finished in a five-way tie, three strokes off the lead, shooting 71-68-72 over the 54-hole event.
Bellar led a Ball State squad that couldn't sustain the blistering momentum it established with Monday's 9-under par second round. The Cardinals combined to shoot 8-over par Tuesday and match their score from the first round. Ball State tied South Alabama in 11th place at 5-over par overall.
"It was a week of Jekyll-and-Hyde team scoring, two poor rounds sandwiched around a great round," said Cardinals coach Mike Fleck. "We got off to a sluggish start today and just didn't capitalize on scoring opportunities in the middle and end of the round. We didn't convert on the par 5's and make the birdies needed to keep pace. We got passed today by several teams I was hoping we could beat."
Fleck added, "I'm proud of Kash for a solid week overall. Now we need to regroup and get ready for the challenge at Purdue."
Kash Bellar: 37-34—71 | 32-36—68 | 39-33—72 (211)
Braxton Kuntz: 35-35—70 | 34-35—69 | 39-37—76 (215)
Carter Smith: 36-38—74 | 37-37—74 | 37-36—73 (221)
Ali Khan: 41-39—80 | 33-35—68 | 38-37—75 (223)
Griffin Hare: 35-44—79 | 37-41—78 | 38-38—76 (233)
Ball State returns to Muncie to prepare for next week's Purdue Fall Invite, a two-day event that begins Monday, Oct. 9.
Follow the Cardinals
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
After nine holes of Tuesday's final round, Bellar gained a one-stroke lead atop the leaderboard following birdies on the 10th, 11th and 12th holes. Beginning the day on the fourth hole as part of a shotgun start, Bellar shot par on six straight holes to finish the back nine. Back at the first hole with just three to play, he bogeyed the par-4 first, then bogeyed the par-3 third to finish with an even card of 72.
South Alabama's Joshua Hill birdied six holes in the final round while shooting a 5-under par 67 to come from behind and take the individual title. Bellar finished in a five-way tie, three strokes off the lead, shooting 71-68-72 over the 54-hole event.
Bellar led a Ball State squad that couldn't sustain the blistering momentum it established with Monday's 9-under par second round. The Cardinals combined to shoot 8-over par Tuesday and match their score from the first round. Ball State tied South Alabama in 11th place at 5-over par overall.
"It was a week of Jekyll-and-Hyde team scoring, two poor rounds sandwiched around a great round," said Cardinals coach Mike Fleck. "We got off to a sluggish start today and just didn't capitalize on scoring opportunities in the middle and end of the round. We didn't convert on the par 5's and make the birdies needed to keep pace. We got passed today by several teams I was hoping we could beat."
Fleck added, "I'm proud of Kash for a solid week overall. Now we need to regroup and get ready for the challenge at Purdue."
Kash Bellar: 37-34—71 | 32-36—68 | 39-33—72 (211)
Braxton Kuntz: 35-35—70 | 34-35—69 | 39-37—76 (215)
Carter Smith: 36-38—74 | 37-37—74 | 37-36—73 (221)
Ali Khan: 41-39—80 | 33-35—68 | 38-37—75 (223)
Griffin Hare: 35-44—79 | 37-41—78 | 38-38—76 (233)
Ball State returns to Muncie to prepare for next week's Purdue Fall Invite, a two-day event that begins Monday, Oct. 9.
Follow the Cardinals
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
Men's Golf // Season Preview
Sunday, August 31
Ball State Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell discusses the NCAA vs. House Settlement
Tuesday, July 01
Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell discusses NCAA vs. House Settlement & Bill Richards Thank You
Friday, June 27
Podcast // Season 2 finale: Guests - Jeff Mitchell, Eric Steger, Timothy Wiseman, and Jeff Ness
Thursday, May 29