Even before hearing the final results, coach Mike Fleck knew the Ball State University men's golf team didn't improve its standings in the last 18 holes of the UALR Collegiate Invitational. After a dismal start in Little Rock, Ark., the Cardinals continued to struggle, shooting a 304 in the final round. Finishing 16th out of 17 teams, the Cardinals have posted two consecutive second to last place finishes.
Sophomore Brian Maurer, who shot a 227, said the team's performance leaves a lot of room for improvement.
"Obviously as a team we are disappointed in how we finished," Maurer said. "We are just going to go back and work hard the next two weeks. We all know that we can play well and at a high level. We just need to go back and trust ourselves and our game."
Similar to the Pinehurst Invitational, senior Wayne Denger led all Cardinals, shooting a team-low 71 in the final round. Denger tied for 44th individually with a score of 223.
Lamar University, however, led the competition with a team-combined score of 832. Mid-American Conference rivals Eastern Michigan University and University of Miami placed 7th and 12th, respectively.
"We just aren't committing to shots," Fleck said.
"We are playing tentative golf right now and making a lot of poor decisions. We just don't have an aggressive mind-set. Maybe that is because it is early in the spring, but it's hard to tell. We aren't executing shots. We are thinking too much about the 'what ifs.'"
Fleck said he felt this way during the first round, as he was not seeing the productive scores he wanted to. At the team meeting, Fleck discussed what they were doing, and a lot of the attention pointed to commitment. Because golf is such a mental sport, Fleck believes commitment will solve simple mistakes.
"If you don't commit you are going to make mistakes," Fleck said. "Being committed is making a confident swing and going with the swing. I saw too many 'bail out' swings. Guys were making stupid mistakes like going for shots we aren't capable of making. We are trying to do too much and make the career shot, but it's going to hurt you more that it will benefit you."
After discussing the situation with Fleck, Denger said the last 18 holes were more enjoyable.
"I've asked him a lot about that," Denger said. "We decided that I was more worried about my misses and I just didn't worry about that [Tuesday]. I was stress-free. I am just excited to look forward. It was a lot more fun."
Despite the rough start, Fleck continues to stay positive about the rest of the season.
"We just have to keep moving forward," Fleck said. "If we can play well in practice then there isn't any reason we can't keep that level in the tournament."
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