Falcon Trio Leads BGSU To Second At Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational

Sunday, April 17

Muncie, IN

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Bowling Green State University

Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational

Falcon Trio Leads BGSU To Second At Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational

April 17, 2011 | Men's Golf

By: by Matthew Daley, Athletic Communications Intern

FINAL RESULTS (.pdf)

Led by three outstanding performances, the Bowling Green State University men's golf team continued a streak of team and individual success at the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational by finishing second overall this weekend (April 16-17).

This marks the fourth consecutive season in which the Falcons have finished in the top five of the tournament. The team placed fifth in both 2007 and 2008 before winning the tournament championship in 2009 (the tourney was played in the fall prior to this year). The team win was highlighted by an individual championship by then-sophomore Drew Preston.

The team began the tournament slowly, ending the first round tied for ninth with a total of 380 (+30). However, the Falcons turned their fortunes over Saturday's final 18 holes and vaulted to a second-place tie thanks to a 365, the second-best team round of tournament.

The Falcons followed that second-round success on Sunday by posting a 368 for the final 18 holes. Like the second-round score, Sunday's total was the best in the field of 15 teams. Only four rounds in the entire tournament featured scores better than 370, and the Falcons earned two of those.

Bowling Green finished the tournament with a composite score of 1,113, nine strokes behind champion and tournament host Ball State. The Cardinals used a first-round 354, which was 11 strokes better than any other round in the event, to build an insurmountable lead. The Falcons defeated third-place Northern Illinois by seven strokes, after the Huskies entered Sunday's play tied with BGSU.

Individually, three Falcons completed the tournament in the top ten. This group was led by Drew Preston, who defended his tournament championship by finishing tied for third, just two strokes behind champion Eric Steger of Ball State.

After rounds of 71 and 72 on Saturday, Preston carded a 73 on Sunday. He shot par, including two birdies, over the final 11 holes. Preston has now placed third or better in seven of his 31 career tournaments and in three of his last six. He still leads the team in scoring average (72.81) through 26 rounds to date.

Wes Gates matched Preston's 73 on Sunday and finished alone in seventh place, two strokes behind Preston. His Sunday total included four birdies, three of which came in a four-hole span. Gates finished with 218, which ties the second-best 54 hole total of his career. He now has three top-tens this year and five for his career.

After beginning the weekend with an 80 in the first round, Parker Hewit shot nine strokes better in Saturday's second half. On Sunday, he was even better. Hewit fired a final-round 69 to finish with 220 and a tie for tenth place. He used three birdies and 13 pars to achieve one of only five sub-70 rounds in the tournament – and the only one on Sunday.

Hewit matches his career-best finish, which he first achieved at September's John Piper Intercollegiate. He has now placed in the top 20 five times in nine tournaments as a junior, after doing so only twice in his first two years combined.

Despite struggling at times with consistency, sophomore transfer Torey Brummett scored five birdies during Sunday's final round, including three in his first four holes. After not scoring a birdie in the first round, he ended the event with seven. His tournament ended with a total of 230 (79-75-76), which earned a 38th-place tie.

Charlie Olson and Bryan Mitchell rounded out the Falcons' six man team. Olson spun a round of 80 after back-to-back 76s on Saturday. He tied for 47th after scoring 232. Mitchell improved by six strokes from the second to the third round. He also increased his number of birdies in each round, and he sank three birdies on Sunday.

Mitchell concluded the tournament with a total of 241 (81-83-77).

The Falcons complete the regular season with one last warm-up for the Mid-American Conference championship tournament. The team will play next weekend in West Lafayette, Ind. at the Boilermaker Invitational.