Eastern Michigan Athletics

Monday, February 7
Dade City, Fla.
All Day

Eastern Michigan University

at

Earl Yestingsmeier Match Play

Men's Golf Heads South to Open 2022 Season

2/5/2022 5:44:00 PM | Men's Golf

The Eagles will participate at the Earl Yestingsmeier Match Play event in Dade City, Fla.

Live Results | Season Preview Video.

DADE CITY, Fla. (EMUEagles.com) -
The Eastern Michigan University men's golf team opens its spring season Monday, Feb. 7, traveling to Dade City, Fla. to compete in the Earl Yestingsmeier Match Play. The tournament is hosted by Ball State University and takes place at par 72, 7,153-yard Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club.

The two-day event will consist of 54 holes of match play competition. Teams are seeded one through eight based upon Golfstat rankings and then placed into a bracket. All teams are guaranteed three matches with losing teams from the first and second rounds continuing to compete in a consolation bracket. Each team match will consist of six individual matches. Lineup order for each team is based upon individual player Golfweek rankings, with the top-rated player in the No. 1 position and so on.

The first round will begin Monday at 8:30 a.m. with a shotgun start, followed by continuous play for the second round. The third and final round will be played Tuesday, Feb. 8, with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.

There will be a total of three Mid-American Conference teams participating in the tournament, including EMU, Ball State, and Toledo. Also joining the action are Dayton, DePaul, Drake, Loyola Chicago, and Xavier.

Formerly known as the Mid-American Match Play, the event was renamed in 2015 in honor of Earl Yestingsmeier, who passed away in Jan. 2014 at age 80. Yestingsmeier spent 36 seasons leading the Ball State men's golf program, including 31 in a dual role as sports information director and golf coach. He guided the Cardinals to 107 tournament titles and 11 NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure. For his success, he was enshrined in the Ball State Athletics, Golf Coaches Association, and Indiana Golf halls of fame.

The Lake Jovita South Course, designed by Tom Lehman and golf course architect Kurt Sandness, brings with it unique challenges and golf conditions. Taking advantage of the hilly terrain to create a course with professional tour quality, the par 5-11th hole features a 94-foot drop from tee to green – the largest natural elevation change of any course in the state of Florida.

In the first round, the second-seeded Eagles will be matched with Xavier. Live scoring and tournament results will be available at Golfstat.com.

First Round Pairings - Monday, Feb. 7
Match 1: No. 8 DePaul vs. No. 1 Toledo
Match 2: No. 5 Drake vs. No. 4 Loyola-Chicago
Match 3: No. 6 Dayton vs. No. 3 Ball State
Match 4: No. 7 Xavier vs. No. 2 Eastern Michigan

No. 2 EMU Lineup
No. 1 - Ty Celone (Long Sault, Ontario, Canada-St Joseph's Catholic)
No. 2 - Cougar Collins (Caledon, Ontario, Canada-Mayfield Secondary)
No. 3 - MJ Smith (Rockford, Ill.-Winnebago)
No. 4 - Zack Mason (Toronto, Ontario, Canada-Blyth Academy Lawrence Park)
No. 5 - Max Watson (Ashland, Ohio-Ashland)
No. 6 - Blaise Vanitvelt (Fenton Mich.-Flint Powers Catholic-Monteverde Academy)

Tournament Field
1. Toledo
2. Eastern Michigan
3. Ball State
4. Loyola-Chicago
5. Drake
6. Dayton
7. Xavier
8. DePaul

Past Champions:
2012 – Ball State
2013 – Bowling Green
2014 – Ball State
2015 – Eastern Michigan / Toledo
2016 – Eastern Michigan
2017 – Notre Dame
2018 – Miami
2019 – Miami
2020 - Drake
2021 - Connecticut 
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