With the first day of the Firestone Invitational in the books, Ohio University has come out of the gates on the wrong side of the leaderboards.
This season, the Bobcats have developed a common trend of starting out tournaments cold but eventually heating up later the first day.
Monday, that trend did continue.
Through the first day of competition, the Bobcats finished tied for 13th overall and only out-paced Western Kentucky, Francis Marion and Samford with a cumulative score of 28-over-par as a team.
Junior Andrew Mlynarski was the top golfer on the leaderboard for the Bobcats, placing 32nd individually in the tournament after 36 holes of play.
Freshman Peyton White also gave an endeavoring effort for Ohio. Through day one, White finished six-above-par, after finishing with a second round score of 73.
Washington State has been the cream of the crop of the tournament, leading second place Kansas State 580-588 in total score.
South Carolina-Aiken and Eastern Michigan each ended the first day tied for third with both teams standing at 13-above-par, overall.
The host team, Akron, followed with a fifth-place finish after recording a total score of 590 strokes.
The high winds and challenging course were a major concern for coach Bob Cooley and team heading into the annual tournament, but after a slow start, the Bobcats will look to bounce back on day two of the tournament for the final 18 holes of play.
Cooley was not available for comment at the end of competition Monday.
lr514812@ohiou.edu
