Photo by: Josh Brunette
Mahoney's 2-Under Par Opening Round Paces Cardinals at MAC Championships
April 27, 2025 | Men's Golf
GROVE CITY, Ohio -- Avery Mahoney fired birdie on the fourth, fifth and sixth holes, Sunday, to fuel a 2-under par 70 in the opening round of the 2025 Mid-American Conference Men's Golf Championships. The sophomore transfer from Burlington, Ontario, sits in fourth place while leading a Ball State lineup that stands in fifth place overall through 18 holes. The Cardinals maintained a lead midway through the clear, sunny day on Pinnacle Golf Club's par-72, 7,462-yard track. But a treacherous stretch on the back nine forced the Cardinals (293) to play from behind. They enter Monday's second round eight strokes behind tournament leaders Northern Illinois (285) and Eastern Michigan (285).
Firing off the No. 1 tee, Mahoney was the second golfer to launch his opening shot in the 9 a.m. tee group. He bogeyed that first hole, but after shooting par on the second and third holes, he vaulted into the lead with birdies on three straight. On the back nine, his fourth birdie of the day came on the 11th hole, to maintain an early advantage. He surrendered the lead with bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes, though, and he finished the day with another birdie on the par-5 18th.
"I'm really proud of Avery, bolstering our lineup today," said 27th year head coach Mike Fleck. "His opening round 70 is impressive and we had nice support from Carter [Smith] and Ali [Khan]. Unfortunately, our Achilles heel showed itself again with a few double bogeys and more. To our guys' credit, we scrapped back into the middle of the pack on the last couple holes. We look for a big middle round tomorrow to get back into this thing. Eight shots on this course is nothing."
A year ago, Mahoney was the runner-up as the MAC Freshman of the Year while golfing for Eastern Michigan. This year, he leads a veteran Ball State unit playing to defend its 2024 conference title.
The Cardinals, though, couldn't hold on to its lead through 12 holes. Among Ball State's five golfers, the Cardinals carded six birdies between the 10th, 11th and 12 holes. That success was countered though, by a sour stretch with nine bogeys over the next four holes.
Carter Smith (73), in 13th place, trailed Mahoney on the Cardinals' leaderboard, followed by Ali Khan (74), Braxton Kuntz (76) and Kash Bellar (78).
Second-round play begins at 9 a.m., Monday, with a final round of action slated for Tuesday.
Firing off the No. 1 tee, Mahoney was the second golfer to launch his opening shot in the 9 a.m. tee group. He bogeyed that first hole, but after shooting par on the second and third holes, he vaulted into the lead with birdies on three straight. On the back nine, his fourth birdie of the day came on the 11th hole, to maintain an early advantage. He surrendered the lead with bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes, though, and he finished the day with another birdie on the par-5 18th.
"I'm really proud of Avery, bolstering our lineup today," said 27th year head coach Mike Fleck. "His opening round 70 is impressive and we had nice support from Carter [Smith] and Ali [Khan]. Unfortunately, our Achilles heel showed itself again with a few double bogeys and more. To our guys' credit, we scrapped back into the middle of the pack on the last couple holes. We look for a big middle round tomorrow to get back into this thing. Eight shots on this course is nothing."
A year ago, Mahoney was the runner-up as the MAC Freshman of the Year while golfing for Eastern Michigan. This year, he leads a veteran Ball State unit playing to defend its 2024 conference title.
The Cardinals, though, couldn't hold on to its lead through 12 holes. Among Ball State's five golfers, the Cardinals carded six birdies between the 10th, 11th and 12 holes. That success was countered though, by a sour stretch with nine bogeys over the next four holes.
Carter Smith (73), in 13th place, trailed Mahoney on the Cardinals' leaderboard, followed by Ali Khan (74), Braxton Kuntz (76) and Kash Bellar (78).
Second-round play begins at 9 a.m., Monday, with a final round of action slated for Tuesday.
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