Erdy comes in 2nd as IU wins adidas Invitational

As players from most every other team huddled around a small, not even 20-inch television inside the pro shop watching the Masters, the IU men’s golf team was down the hill, gazing at the leader board and its third-straight adidas Hoosier Invitational title Sunday at the IU Golf Course.

After the first round Saturday, where thunderstorms delayed much of the play until late in the afternoon, both the men’s “A” and “B” teams stood atop the leader board.

The “A” team was led by junior David Erdy with a three-under 68, just two shots ahead of the teams’ cumulative five-under
par (279).

Sophomore Michael McGee joined Erdy in a tie for third with a 68, his career-low round as a Hoosier.

On Sunday the teams went back out onto the course at 8:15 a.m. with more than one round to play — but a lot more than one and a half rounds of golf were on the Hoosiers’ minds.  

Junior Chase Wright won this tournament last year by seven shots and stood three shots back going into the second round.

Erdy had finished tied for second two years in a row and was looking to win it this year with Wright still in contention.

Wright and Erdy, though, were both unable to make strong enough runs in the afternoon heat.

Ball State’s Tyler Merkel, who entered Sunday’s final round tied for 15th, was one of only six players in the field to break par in the final round.

He edged out Erdy and Cleveland State’s Kent Monas, who both tied for second, by a single stroke, to take the individual medalist honors.

Wright, who finished tied for fourth at 212 with a final round 73, said he felt he put too much stress on himself to defend his title.

“I really just let it get to me a little too much,” Wright said. “Honestly, I really didn’t know where I stood through that whole last round, but it’s tough to play at home in front of your family and on a course you’re familiar with. It just adds even more pressure because you know how well you can play, and I just let it get to me.”

IU coach Mike Mayer, who handed out the final awards after all the scores were posted, said he was a little disappointed that he couldn’t give the medalist trophy to one of his 10 participating players, but as the scores have shown the past three years, his team is tough to beat on a course it practices on weekly.

“Every tournament is tough to win, and I really felt like we played two solid rounds of golf,” Mayer said. “I was really looking for us to have guys in both first and second, but in the end, we’re just a really hard team to beat on this golf course, no matter who we’re playing.”