After six tournaments, the Ball State University men's golf team finally concluded its fall season. The Cardinals took fifth place out of 17 teams at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate in Las Cruces, N.M. Tuesday.
Despite being in 10th place going into the final round, the Cardinals jumped five places after shooting a team score of 279 in the last 18 holes.
"Obviously coming into the tournament we were trying to have a top five finish," coach Mike Fleck said. "The main thing this week was to have a good finish and leave a good taste in our mouth heading into the off-season. And we were fortunate enough to accomplish that goal with a good finish in the final round. We got comfortable on the golf course and became more efficient."
Junior Ben Lakoff led all Cardinals, tying for 13th individually. Lakoff carded a team-low 67 in the final round. Lakoff said the fifth place finish portrays Ball State's talent.
"We ended the season on a really good note," Lakoff said. "It will get us fired up for the off-season and hopefully we can do this again in the spring. It really shows the depth of our team and shows how solid we are top to bottom."
In six tournaments, the Cardinals had four players lead the team individually. Fleck said the statistics reinforce the idea of a collective effort.
"When we can have several players finish first, it reinforces the idea of having a collective effort," Fleck said. "It is important and good to see we have guys who can step up and play to their ability."
Texas Tech University came away with the victory, carding a team-combined score of 831. Ball State shot an 856, 25 strokes behind the lead. The fifth place finish is the second best outcome for the Cardinals this season. Fleck said he was pleased his team ended the fall season with a solid finish.
"It is a long off-season if you don't play well in the last tournament," Fleck said. "It is more enjoyable to finish strong and have a good finish."
With a few months off, the Cardinals will transition and step off the golf course through Thanksgiving break. After the Fall Semester ends, however, Ball State will get back onto the golf course and prepare for Mid-American Conference play.
Ball State will look to build off of a fourth place finish at the 2007 MAC Championships. With hopes of winning the entire tournament in 2008, junior Brian Maurer said it was crucial for the team to finish in the top five.
"It is very important to go into the off-season with a good finish," Maurer said. "It was special to go out there and put up one of the better rounds of the season. As far as a team we need to practice on focusing 100 percent for all three rounds on the golf course. We need to be a top team in all three rounds and not just one or two of them."
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