Bellar Claims NGI Individual Champion Title, Men's Golf Finishes 2023 Spring Season

Friday, May 19

Maricopa, AZ (Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club)

All Day

Ball State University

National Golf Invitational

Bellar Claims NGI Individual Champion Title, Men's Golf Finishes 2023 Spring Season

May 21, 2023 | Men's Golf

NGI Final Results

MARICOPA, Arizona – The Ball State men's golf team wrapped up the 2023 Spring tournament season today at the National Golf Invitational after being paired with Stetson and Oral Roberts for the final round. The Cardinals finished tied with Stetson for fourth place (286-287-286—859), and Kash Bellar won the individual title as the 2023 National Golf Invitational champion.

Bellar brought home some hardware and earned a first-place finish on the individual leaderboard. He went 1-under in round one, 6-under in round two and scored even today in round three (71-66-72—209) to claim the spot as the 2023 NGI individual champion. Bellar's efforts throughout the weekend helped propel the Cardinals to a top-five finish overall.

"When Kash is on, he is hard to beat. He was on most of this weekend and to birdie his last hole to get it done…..I'm so proud of him and now he has the title of 'National Champion' after his performance here at the NGI," said head coach Mike Fleck.

Griffin Hare finished at 1-over today (68-75-73—216) and earned a top-20 finish on the individual leaderboard, finishing tied for 19^th. Carter Smith finished round three at 1-over (74-72-73—219) and showed consistency throughout each round. Smith finished tied for 33^rd place.

Joey Ranieri played his final round as a Cardinal today after an impactful five-year career at Ball State. He finished at 1-under for round three (74-75-71—220) and is tied for 36^th place. Ali Khan played rounds one and two of the NGI, finishing at 1-over in round one and 2-over in round two (73-74). Evan Bone subbed in and competed in round three for the Cardinals, finishing at 2-under (70).

"I can't say enough about this group. The fight and determination this week and all spring is what I will remember. It stings coming up a couple strokes short as a team here in Arizona, but that was our goal, we wanted to win, and our guys gave it all they had," coach Fleck continued. "This is a special group that had a very successful spring season, and they've positioned the program for more post season appearances moving forward."