Ball State University Athletics
Friday, April 26
Westfield, IN
All Day
Ball State University
vs
Mid-American Conference
Ball State Tied in First Place After First Round at MAC Men's Golf Championships
April 26, 2024 | Men's Golf
WESTFIELD, Ind. – Three Ball State golfers are tied at 2-under par after first-round play in the Mid-American Conference Championship, conducted Friday at The Club at Chatham Hills. Bolstered by first-round production from Carter Smith, Kash Bellar and Ali Khan, Ball State (283) sits in a first-place tie with Miami University (283), through 18 holes.
The Cardinals, seeking their first title at the MAC Championships since 1986, are hoping to take one step upward from last year's runner-up finish to Northern Illinois.
"I'm really proud of the patience we displayed today as a team, and the collective effort from all five guys," said 26th-year head coach Mike Fleck who has guided the Cardinals program to nine top-three and five runner-up finishes at the MAC Championships. "We weren't making the birdies early today that some of the teams were posting, but credit our guys for turning it up on in the back half of the round."
Playing in the Cardinals' No. 1 position, Smith (70) fired par on 12 straight holes to open the tournament, then he eagled the par-5 13th hole and birdied the par-3 14th to sit at 3-under with four holes to play. He bogeyed the 16th hole and finished 2-under par to tie in sixth place with teammates Bellar and Khan.
Bellar (70), a junior who finished fourth in last year's event, countered three bogeys with five birdies to tie among the leaders. Khan (70), another junior, had just one blemish – a double-bogey on the ninth hole. But he shot par on 13 holes and added four birdies.
The trio of Cardinals sits in a five-way tie in sixth place, sitting three strokes behind defending MAC champion Barend Botha (67), of Toledo. Miami's Danny Fisher (68) is in second place at 4-under, with three golfers knotted at 3-under.
Ball State's Braxton Kuntz (73) and Alec Cesare (73) both are tied in 17th place at 1-over par.
"We stuck to our game plan," added Fleck, "did a much better job on the par 5s and posted the low back-nine team total. All five guys combined to go -7 on the closing nine holes and it was fun to watch. I'm really excited to get back after it tomorrow and compete!"
Second-round play begins at 9 a.m., Saturday, with a final round of 18 holes scheduled for 9 a.m. on Sunday.
Ball State Individual Results, through First Round
No. 1 Carter Smith (70): 36-34—70 (-2, 6th)
No. 2 Kash Bellar (70): 36-34—70 (-2, 6th)
No. 3 Ali Khan (70): 37-33—70 (-2, 6th)
No. 4 Braxton Kuntz (73): 37-36—73 (+1, 17th)
No. 5 Alec Cesare (73): 37-36—73 (+1, 17th)
Follow the Cardinals
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
The Cardinals, seeking their first title at the MAC Championships since 1986, are hoping to take one step upward from last year's runner-up finish to Northern Illinois.
"I'm really proud of the patience we displayed today as a team, and the collective effort from all five guys," said 26th-year head coach Mike Fleck who has guided the Cardinals program to nine top-three and five runner-up finishes at the MAC Championships. "We weren't making the birdies early today that some of the teams were posting, but credit our guys for turning it up on in the back half of the round."
Playing in the Cardinals' No. 1 position, Smith (70) fired par on 12 straight holes to open the tournament, then he eagled the par-5 13th hole and birdied the par-3 14th to sit at 3-under with four holes to play. He bogeyed the 16th hole and finished 2-under par to tie in sixth place with teammates Bellar and Khan.
Bellar (70), a junior who finished fourth in last year's event, countered three bogeys with five birdies to tie among the leaders. Khan (70), another junior, had just one blemish – a double-bogey on the ninth hole. But he shot par on 13 holes and added four birdies.
The trio of Cardinals sits in a five-way tie in sixth place, sitting three strokes behind defending MAC champion Barend Botha (67), of Toledo. Miami's Danny Fisher (68) is in second place at 4-under, with three golfers knotted at 3-under.
Ball State's Braxton Kuntz (73) and Alec Cesare (73) both are tied in 17th place at 1-over par.
"We stuck to our game plan," added Fleck, "did a much better job on the par 5s and posted the low back-nine team total. All five guys combined to go -7 on the closing nine holes and it was fun to watch. I'm really excited to get back after it tomorrow and compete!"
Second-round play begins at 9 a.m., Saturday, with a final round of 18 holes scheduled for 9 a.m. on Sunday.
Ball State Individual Results, through First Round
No. 1 Carter Smith (70): 36-34—70 (-2, 6th)
No. 2 Kash Bellar (70): 36-34—70 (-2, 6th)
No. 3 Ali Khan (70): 37-33—70 (-2, 6th)
No. 4 Braxton Kuntz (73): 37-36—73 (+1, 17th)
No. 5 Alec Cesare (73): 37-36—73 (+1, 17th)
Follow the Cardinals
Players Mentioned
Heart of the Cardinal Podcast // Guests: Mike Fleck and Alauna Simms
Monday, December 15
Heart of the Cardinal Podcast // Mike Fleck on Program Approach
Saturday, December 13
Sports Link: International Student Athlete Day
Monday, November 17
Homecoming // Cardinal Sinners! Presented by Gameday Spirit
Friday, October 17