If there were a song that perfectly summarizes the Bobcats’ schedule this year, it would be Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again.”
After a week hiatus, the men will be back in full swing, when they travel to Akron to play in the Firestone Invitational on Monday.
“Right now we’re just focusing on the weather,” coach Bob Cooley said. “There’s a big qualifier going on right now, but we’re focusing on hitting it right off the tee.”
The wind and complex golf course might be a cause for concern for the Bobcats this tournament.
“There’s a lot of wind, and we’ll have to look out for the water,” coach Cooley added.
The Firestone golf course, which held the PGA Championship in 1975 when Jack Nicklaus was still golfing, will bring a new sense of renewal for the team as it looks to bounce back from an 11th place finish at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate.
The five-man lineup this week will include last week’s Mid-American Conference player of the week Peyton White, senior Phil Gieseker, senior Bradley Lucas, junior Andrew Mlynarski and junior Tommy Leech.
White, a freshman, led the Wolf Run tournament in par-4 scoring and ranks fourth in the MAC with an average score per round of 74 and will look to continue his hot streak this week.
Gieseker and Lucas will look to get hot early on for the Bobcats, as Lucas came out of the gates stroking a 77 score in the first round in the Wolf Run Intercollegiate two weeks ago.
This will be Leech’s first tournament of the season, as the Pittsburgh native will see his first action since Oct. 15, 2012.
“He’s starting because he won a play-off,” coach Cooley said. “He’s been playing well right now and in the play-off he beat the other guy so I had to start him.”
Mlynarski will not be playing individually, despite doing so the past two tournaments. He has been a solid starter for the team, as his total score of 215 and top 20 finish at the Marshall Invitational jumpstarted the Bobcats’ season.
lr514812@ohiou.edu
