All 5 golfers finish in top 20 as Ball State wins Cardinal Classic

Freshman Dylann Armstrong holds the flag on the green as her opponents putt in their balls Sept. 17, 2018, at the Players Club in Yorktown, Indiana during the Cardinal Classic Golf Tournament. The Cardinals faced off against 16 other colleges in the two-day tournament. Eric Pritchett,DN
Freshman Dylann Armstrong holds the flag on the green as her opponents putt in their balls Sept. 17, 2018, at the Players Club in Yorktown, Indiana during the Cardinal Classic Golf Tournament. The Cardinals faced off against 16 other colleges in the two-day tournament. Eric Pritchett,DN

In Ball State’s only home match of the fall, the women’s golf team outlasted 10 other schools to claim victory in Yorktown. 

In addition to a win at home, every Cardinal competing finished in the top 20 individually. 

“I am really excited and happy for the team,” head coach Katherine Mowat said. “It is hard to win college tournaments, and it is extra special to do it at your home course.”

Despite notching a team score of 305 in the first round, the Cardinals bounced back to tally the lowest score of the entire round by five strokes and tie IUPUI for the best round score of the day with a 294. After the first two rounds Monday, Ball State had a three-stroke lead, and two Cardinals sat in the top five heading into the championship round.

“We really relied on the depth of our team,” Mowat said. “It just shows how competitive we are as a team. We were not making birdies, but we really turned it on and ended up getting some really good rounds.”

The Cardinals split the difference in the championship round and shot 300 as a team. Senior Manon Tounalom led the way and closed the tournament in fourth individually. Finishing 6-over-par, Tounalom achieved her second-straight top-five finish this fall. 

“I am super excited and really happy with the team’s overall scores,” Tounalom said. “In golf, the most important part is putting and chipping. This part of my game was the best today.”

Although performance on the course is key, Tounalom is trying to be a leader off the course for Ball State’s group of younger players. 

“Just by setting an example and being on time, I will be a leader,” Tounalom said. “Practicing harder and harder to be the best version of myself is important.”


Freshman Hadley Moritz looks to measure the distance between her ball and the hole Sept. 17, 2018, at the Players Club in Yorktown, Indiana during the Cardinal Classic Golf Tournament. The Cardinal Classics is a two-day golf event with 36 holes played on the first day and 16 holes on the second. Eric Pritchett,DN


The second Cardinal to finish in the top 20 was junior Tiegan Taylor. Taylor finished tied for fifth place at 7-over-par. Sophomore Morgan Lewis, sophomore Hadley Moritz and junior Liz Kim all tied for 17th individually at 14-over-par.

The Cardinals will have two days of practice before travelling to Colorado. Mowat said the team needs to be focused on schoolwork before the long trip ahead.

“We are going to use this time to take care of the academic side of things,” Mowat said. “We are just going to put in some quality practice and maintain our good shape.”

Contact Drew Pierce with any comments at dlpierce2@bsu.edu or on Twitter @dpierce3cc.

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