The BG men’s golf team will ride the momentum from their season-opening victory into Muncie, Ind., today where they will look to make it two in a row when they compete in the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational.
The tournament, hosted by Ball State, is a two-day, 54-hole affair. Like last week, the teams will play 36 holes today followed by 18 tomorrow. The action will get underway each day with a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
In all, a total of 15 teams made the trek to Muncie, the most potent of which figure to be: the Falcons, Austin Peay, Cincinnati, and BSU.
The setting for this week’s event will be Delaware Country Club which is home to a 6,438-yard, par-70 course. It is a venue that will stand in marked contrast to what the Falcons faced last week at Stone Ridge, which is largely a bomber’s paradise.
‘This will be a fun week,’ said coach Garry Winger. ‘It is a shorter course where a driver isn’t necessarily required off of every tee. We feel that our guys will have an opportunity to score here.’
Senior John Powers and his teammates had a chance to get acquainted with their surroundings with a practice round yesterday afternoon.
‘As a competitor, it is a fun course to play on,’ said John Powers, who finished second in this event last year. ‘There are a few holes that you need to be careful about, but there are also a lot of birdie opportunities out here.’
Their preparations, however, were somewhat marred by persistent wind and rain, both of which appear to be in the forecast throughout the tournament.
‘The weather looks like something our guys will have to deal with throughout the week,’ Winger said. ‘The main thing I wanted from our practice rounds was just to have a chance to get on the greens and get comfortable with how they are rolling.’
Regardless of the obstacles, the Falcons appear to be well-equipped for a fine showing.
Last year, in addition to Powers, Matt Schneider also finished second and the Falcons took fifth as a team.
‘Overall, we are pretty confident with where we are at right now,’ Winger said. ‘Everyone seems to be playing well at the moment. Although you can never expect anything in this game, we are excited to be here and are looking for a high finish.’