Ball State University Athletics
Photo by: Ball State Athletics
Cardinals' Tee Times and Pairings Set for Chapel Hill Regional
May 12, 2024 | Men's Golf
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Ball State men's golf team played a round at Duke University on Saturday and shot a practice round Sunday at the UNC Finley Club, the site of this week's NCAA Regional in North Carolina. The Cardinals begin play Monday in the 13-team, 54-hole NCAA Regional hosted by the University of North Carolina. The par-70, 7,084-yard course is one of six NCAA regional sites that welcome 81 teams to the NCAA men's golf championship.
Originally scheduled for 18 holes of play beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, NCAA officials may accelerate the playing schedule with concerns of inclement weather later in the event. Second-round action may commence immediately following Monday's first round. Play will not be extended beyond Wednesday. (Ball State's lineup and tee times are listed below.)
The Cardinals, champions of the Mid-American Conference, boast a lineup with no seniors yet one that plays with experience. Led by sophomores a year ago, Ball State finished second in the MAC prior to reaching the National Golf Invitational and finishing fourth. Then-sophomore Kash Bellar won the national postseason event to whet the Cardinals' appetite for an extended postseason in 2024.
The 2024 postseason begins this week, following the Cardinals' march through the MAC Championships two weeks ago. Head coach Mike Fleck, the MAC Coach of the Year, now works with a lineup comprised of three juniors plus a sophomore and a freshman. Ball State enters Monday's NCAA first round as the No. 12 seed in a region anchored by national powers North Carolina, Alabama and Georgia Tech. It is the Cardinals' first appearance in an NCAA regional since 2013 when Ball State finished fifth in Pullman, Washington, and advanced to the NCAA national tournament in Atlanta. Just as in 2013, the top five teams in this week's regional advance to the NCAA national championship event in Carlsbad, Calif., May 24-29.
Bellar, now a junior, and sophomore Carter Smith lead the Cardinals, having competed atop the five-man lineup every week since the season began at the Golfweek Invitational last September. Smith was named a first-team All-MAC honoree last week to become Ball State's first first-teamer since 2015. Bellar earned second-team All-MAC accolades for the second straight season. He finished fourth in the MAC Championships in two straight seasons and garnered All-Tournament honors each year, too.
Together, the duo is stamping its name in the Ball State record book – Bellar's 71.94 average last season is currently second in Ball State history and Smith's 72.55 average this year is third.
Junior Ali Khan, another All-MAC second-team honoree, tied with Bellar to finish fourth at the MAC Championships. He lines up in the Cardinals' No. 3 position, just ahead of another junior, Braxton Kuntz. Kuntz, a lefty transfer from Nicholls State, is the first Canadian ever to play for Ball State, and he enters the Chapel Hill Regional after shooting a 6-under 66 last week to advance in local U.S. Open qualification.
Rounding out the Ball State lineup is a freshman, Alec Cesare, who lines up in the No. 5 lineup spot. Cesare, though, finished eighth at the MAC Championships and has paced the Cardinals on the final day in three of their last four tournaments.
Ball State Lineup and First-Round Tee Times
2024 NCAA Chapel Hill Regional | UNC Finley Golf Club (par-70, 7,084 yards)
8:55 a.m. | No. 5 – Alec Cesare, Fr., Westfield, Ind. | 74.14 average, 29 rounds
9:06 a.m. | No. 4 – Braxton Kuntz, Jr., Winnepeg, Manitoba | 73.58 average, 31 rounds
9:17 a.m. | No. 3 – Ali Khan, Jr., Columbus, Ohio | 73.38 average, 29 rounds
9:28 a.m. | No. 2 – Kash Bellar, Jr., Peru, Ind. | 73.14 average, 29 rounds
9:39 a.m. | No. 1 – Carter Smith, So., Sellersburg, Ind. | 72.55 average, 29 rounds
Additional – Jensen Klondike, Grad, Louisville, Ky. | 74.43 average, 14 rounds
Originally scheduled for 18 holes of play beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, NCAA officials may accelerate the playing schedule with concerns of inclement weather later in the event. Second-round action may commence immediately following Monday's first round. Play will not be extended beyond Wednesday. (Ball State's lineup and tee times are listed below.)
The Cardinals, champions of the Mid-American Conference, boast a lineup with no seniors yet one that plays with experience. Led by sophomores a year ago, Ball State finished second in the MAC prior to reaching the National Golf Invitational and finishing fourth. Then-sophomore Kash Bellar won the national postseason event to whet the Cardinals' appetite for an extended postseason in 2024.
The 2024 postseason begins this week, following the Cardinals' march through the MAC Championships two weeks ago. Head coach Mike Fleck, the MAC Coach of the Year, now works with a lineup comprised of three juniors plus a sophomore and a freshman. Ball State enters Monday's NCAA first round as the No. 12 seed in a region anchored by national powers North Carolina, Alabama and Georgia Tech. It is the Cardinals' first appearance in an NCAA regional since 2013 when Ball State finished fifth in Pullman, Washington, and advanced to the NCAA national tournament in Atlanta. Just as in 2013, the top five teams in this week's regional advance to the NCAA national championship event in Carlsbad, Calif., May 24-29.
Bellar, now a junior, and sophomore Carter Smith lead the Cardinals, having competed atop the five-man lineup every week since the season began at the Golfweek Invitational last September. Smith was named a first-team All-MAC honoree last week to become Ball State's first first-teamer since 2015. Bellar earned second-team All-MAC accolades for the second straight season. He finished fourth in the MAC Championships in two straight seasons and garnered All-Tournament honors each year, too.
Together, the duo is stamping its name in the Ball State record book – Bellar's 71.94 average last season is currently second in Ball State history and Smith's 72.55 average this year is third.
Junior Ali Khan, another All-MAC second-team honoree, tied with Bellar to finish fourth at the MAC Championships. He lines up in the Cardinals' No. 3 position, just ahead of another junior, Braxton Kuntz. Kuntz, a lefty transfer from Nicholls State, is the first Canadian ever to play for Ball State, and he enters the Chapel Hill Regional after shooting a 6-under 66 last week to advance in local U.S. Open qualification.
Rounding out the Ball State lineup is a freshman, Alec Cesare, who lines up in the No. 5 lineup spot. Cesare, though, finished eighth at the MAC Championships and has paced the Cardinals on the final day in three of their last four tournaments.
Ball State Lineup and First-Round Tee Times
2024 NCAA Chapel Hill Regional | UNC Finley Golf Club (par-70, 7,084 yards)
8:55 a.m. | No. 5 – Alec Cesare, Fr., Westfield, Ind. | 74.14 average, 29 rounds
9:06 a.m. | No. 4 – Braxton Kuntz, Jr., Winnepeg, Manitoba | 73.58 average, 31 rounds
9:17 a.m. | No. 3 – Ali Khan, Jr., Columbus, Ohio | 73.38 average, 29 rounds
9:28 a.m. | No. 2 – Kash Bellar, Jr., Peru, Ind. | 73.14 average, 29 rounds
9:39 a.m. | No. 1 – Carter Smith, So., Sellersburg, Ind. | 72.55 average, 29 rounds
Additional – Jensen Klondike, Grad, Louisville, Ky. | 74.43 average, 14 rounds
Players Mentioned
Sports Link // Cardinal Conversations with Carter Smith & Jeff Mitchell
Tuesday, March 17
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