Monday, March 11
Opelika, AL
All Day
Ball State University
at
Tiger Invitational
Men's Golf Team Visits No. 2-Ranked Auburn for Tiger Invitational
March 10, 2024 | Men's Golf
AUBURN, Ala. – Amid a field of 17 schools, Ball State ventures to the Tiger Invitational on Monday and Tuesday, conducted at the Auburn University Club (par 72, 7,591 yards).
Hosted by No. 2-ranked Auburn, the 54-hole invitational gives Ball State another test in a spring season that includes an impressive match-play victory in South Florida, then a record-breaking, runner-up finish at the Dorado Beach Collegiate in Puerto Rico.
The Cardinals, ranked 96th in the latest NCAA men's golf rankings by Scoreboard, face a competitive field that includes the Tigers, No. 66 Florida Gulf Coast, No. 75 Toledo, No. 91 Kennesaw State, No. 97 Lipscomb, No. 99 Elon and No. 100 UNC-Wilmington. Nearly half of the field ranks in the NCAA's current top 100.
Junior Kash Bellar leads the Ball State lineup after his fourth-place finish at Dorado Beach. He carded a 7-under-par 65 in his last round in Puerto Rico before rains washed out the final round at Dorado Beach. Bellar led a Cardinals contingent that shot a program-record 16-under-par in the second round two weeks ago to finish 28-under par for a 36-hole program record. Ball State's 272 team score was just one stroke off the lowest recorded score in program history.
"We've been looking forward to this stretch for a while beginning with the Tiger Invitational," said longtime Ball State coach Mike Fleck. "Auburn has been ranked one or two nationally through the year and the field is as competitive as we've seen so far this spring. The guys have had a great week of preparation leading up to this one and we're excited to compete on a challenging championship venue with postseason feels."
Depth has been a key for Ball State through its first two spring outings, with the Cardinals' entire lineup finishing under par at Dorado Beach. The Cardinals' starting quintet is identical to the Dorado lineup, but for Bellar golfing out of the No. 1 slot ahead of No. 2 Carter Smith. Ali Khan plays out of the No. 3 position for Ball State, while Braxton Kuntz and freshman Alec Cesare battle at Nos. 4 and 5.
The Tiger Invitational presented by Jason Dufner features an 8:15 a.m. CT shotgun start for the first and second rounds to be played on Monday, and a 7:45 a.m. CT tee time for the final round on Tuesday. Competing schools include Auburn, Ball State, East Carolina, Elon, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida Atlantic, Georgia State, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Lamar, Lipscomb, Northern Illinois, Richmond, Southern Miss, Toledo, UNC-Wilmington and Wichita State.
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Hosted by No. 2-ranked Auburn, the 54-hole invitational gives Ball State another test in a spring season that includes an impressive match-play victory in South Florida, then a record-breaking, runner-up finish at the Dorado Beach Collegiate in Puerto Rico.
The Cardinals, ranked 96th in the latest NCAA men's golf rankings by Scoreboard, face a competitive field that includes the Tigers, No. 66 Florida Gulf Coast, No. 75 Toledo, No. 91 Kennesaw State, No. 97 Lipscomb, No. 99 Elon and No. 100 UNC-Wilmington. Nearly half of the field ranks in the NCAA's current top 100.
Junior Kash Bellar leads the Ball State lineup after his fourth-place finish at Dorado Beach. He carded a 7-under-par 65 in his last round in Puerto Rico before rains washed out the final round at Dorado Beach. Bellar led a Cardinals contingent that shot a program-record 16-under-par in the second round two weeks ago to finish 28-under par for a 36-hole program record. Ball State's 272 team score was just one stroke off the lowest recorded score in program history.
"We've been looking forward to this stretch for a while beginning with the Tiger Invitational," said longtime Ball State coach Mike Fleck. "Auburn has been ranked one or two nationally through the year and the field is as competitive as we've seen so far this spring. The guys have had a great week of preparation leading up to this one and we're excited to compete on a challenging championship venue with postseason feels."
Depth has been a key for Ball State through its first two spring outings, with the Cardinals' entire lineup finishing under par at Dorado Beach. The Cardinals' starting quintet is identical to the Dorado lineup, but for Bellar golfing out of the No. 1 slot ahead of No. 2 Carter Smith. Ali Khan plays out of the No. 3 position for Ball State, while Braxton Kuntz and freshman Alec Cesare battle at Nos. 4 and 5.
The Tiger Invitational presented by Jason Dufner features an 8:15 a.m. CT shotgun start for the first and second rounds to be played on Monday, and a 7:45 a.m. CT tee time for the final round on Tuesday. Competing schools include Auburn, Ball State, East Carolina, Elon, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida Atlantic, Georgia State, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Lamar, Lipscomb, Northern Illinois, Richmond, Southern Miss, Toledo, UNC-Wilmington and Wichita State.
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