Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Boilermaker Invitational
Men's Golf Climbs The Leaderboard Late to Earn Third Place at Boilermaker Invite
4/10/2022 6:21:00 PM | Men's Golf
MJ Smith finished with his second top-10 performance and led EMU
Tournament Results (Web)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's golf team overcame gusts of better than 20 miles per hour to deliver a third place finish at the 14-team Boilermaker Invitational, held at the Ackerman-Allen Golf Course in West Lafayette, Ind. today, April 10.
The Eagles closed the two-day, 54-hole tournament with a 12-over, 296 to move up two spots on the leaderboard and finish the tournament with an 877 (+25). Playing under tough wind conditions, the Eagles used steady play to move up in a day that saw all but three teams score at a higher rate than their respective second-round, Saturday afternoon scores. The No. 21 University of Illinois squad claimed the title, with a dominant 10-under, 842 showing over 54 holes.
The third place finish is the second-best for the team this season. Its best finish was a first place effort at the Earl Yestingsmeier March Play, Feb. 7-8 in Dade City, Fla.
Individually, Eastern was led by sophomore MJ Smith (Rockford, Ill.-Winnebago), who turned in an incredible weekend performance to finish tied for sixth at the event. His 214 (71-70-73) saw him shoot two rounds of under-par golf to earn his second career top-10 finish.
How It Happened
After pacing the team in consecutive rounds yesterday, April 9, Smith picked up right where he left off during the final 18 holes of play at the Boilermaker Invite. The sophomore again led the Green and White, this time turning in a two-over, 73. Smith carded three birdies during the round, and paired that with 10 pars. The second-year standout did not record a score worse than bogey on his final round card.
Elsewhere in the field, senior Ty Celone (Long Sault, Ontario-St. Joseph's Catholic) put together a strong final-round 74, his second-best score of the weekend, to finish with a 221 (75-72-74) and tied for 25th. His fellow upperclassman, Cougar Collins (Caledon, Ontario-Mayfield Secondary), also hit the mark after rounds of 75-71-71, respectively.
Up Next
The Eagles will have one final tune-up before the Mid-American Conference Championships when they head to University Park, Pa. to compete in the Rutherford Invitational next Saturday-Sunday, April 16-17. The event is hosted by Pennsylvania State University.
Eastern Michigan Individual Results:
Pl. Player Scores
t-6. MJ Smith 214 (71-70-73)
t-25. Cougar Collins 221 (75-71-75)
t-25. Ty Celone 221 (75-72-74)
t-33. Zack Mason 224 (74-76-74)
t-68. Max Watson 235 (84-78)
Team Scores:
Pl. Team Scores
1 Illinois 842 (284-277-281)
2 Purdue 850 (284-278-288)
3 Eastern Michigan 877 (295-286-296)
t-4. Illinois State 878 (301-278-299)
t-4. Rutgers 878 (290-285-303)
6 Troy 884 (300-291-293)
t-7. Minnesota 892 (303-296-293)
t-7. Miami 892 (297-295-300)
9 Indiana 893 (296-296-301)
10 Wisconsin 896 (307-294-295)
11 Ball State 903 (298-304-301)
12 Butler 923 (312-299-312)
13 Loyola-Chicago 924 (311-300-313)
14 IUPUI 931 (316-307-308)
Players Mentioned
