Ball State University
White Sands Bahamas Invitational
Cardinal Golfers Venture to Bahamas for Final Fall Tournament
October 24, 2024 | Men's Golf
Following a scorching three rounds and second-place finish at the Everett Buick GMC Classic in Little Rock, Arkansas, two weeks ago, junior Carter Smith has vaulted to the top of the Ball State lineup, where he found himself through most tournaments last year. Smith finished at -11 over 54 holes in Little Rock, tying his own personal best over three rounds, and his second round 66 (-6) was also a career-best, relative to par. Smith's 11-under scorecard matched his 2023 tournament at Butler's Benbow Invitational that is the fourth-best three-round score in program history.
The rest of the Ball State lineup shakes out with seniors Braxton Kuntz and Ali Khan in the Nos. 2 and 3 positions, followed by freshman Gavin Hare and senior Kash Bellar. Kuntz, recently named to Team Canada's roster for 2025, fired the Cardinals' best team score in Little Rock, and his final round of 68 (-4) was the Cardinals' best round of the day. Hare has shone brightly in Ball State's past two tournaments - in Little Rock and in Madison, Wisconsin. Freshman counterpart Happy Gilmore plays this week as an individual participant for Ball State.
"What an incredible way to end the fall season," said Ball State golf coach Mike Fleck. "When we got the invitation to be a part of this event, I immediately thought of our upperclassmen.This unique college golf experience is a great way to say 'Thank You' to our guys for their dedicated commitment to the program, the countless hours of work they have put in, and the success they've created as Ball State student-athletes. But, we are also very much looking at finishing the season strong and how you finish the fall is the taste you're left with into the winter offseason. So, the goal is to compete hard this week and end the fall season with momentum because we still have a lot we want to do with this veteran group in the spring!"Â
Each day on the Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island consists of par-72 play over a 6,943-yard layout. Play begins with an 8 a.m. shotgun start on each of the next three days, with the tournament culminating Sunday afternoon. The tournament is hosted by the University of West Virginia and the field includes three Mid-American Conference schools among the Mountaineers, Ball State, College of Charleston, Eastern Michigan, Emory, George Mason, Houston, Maryland, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Rutgers and UC-San Diego.Ball State Lineup at White Sands Bahamas Invitational, Oct. 25-27 (Ocean Club Golf Course, par 72, 6,943 yards)
No. 1 - Carter Smith, Jr., Sellersburg, Ind.
No. 2 - Braxton Kuntz, Sr., Winnipeg, Manitoba
No. 3 - Ali Khan, R-Sr., Columbus, Ohio
No. 4 - Gavin Hare, Fr., Tipton, Ind.
No. 5 - Kash Bellar, Sr., Peru, Ind.
Individual - Happy Gilmore, Fr., Bloomington, Ind.
Â
Players Mentioned
