MEN'S GOLF: Ball State swings into spring

Cardinals will face tough transition from turf to natural grass

The Ball State men's golf team will take part in its second event of the spring season today in a match play event in Tampa Bay, Florida. 

The Cardinals competed in an exhibition last week against Indiana in Fort Myers to prepare for match play.

Ball State is the second seed out of 16 teams, behind only Notre Dame. The tournament consists of mostly Big East schools such as UConn, St. John's, Marquette, and co-host schools DePaul and University of Southern Florida.

No matter if the Cardinals win or lose, they will play four head-to-head matches, with two today, and two on Saturday.

Ball State traveled to Tampa Friday night. Coach Mike Fleck said he was confident in the team's ability despite the issues with our cold weather.

"The biggest thing is getting back into that competitive mindset and competitive mode while being able to hit golf balls off grass, execute shots, and play," Fleck said.

After last week's exhibition against Indiana, the team was able to play another round in Florida before making the trip home to Muncie.

After having a cold week of practice indoors, senior co-captain Eric Steger said there will be differences between the turf and the real grass in Florida.

"It's a good substitute, but it's just not the same. We are playing another 18 holes tomorrow so I think we will be ready once tomorrow ends."

Ball State will tee off at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, with the starting five players consisting of Steger, freshman Tyler Merkel, junior TJ Carpenter, sophomore Tony Lazzara, and sophomore Joe Gasser, ranked respectively.


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