At the conclusion of the Firestone Invitational, Ohio finished exactly where they left off on day one: 13th place.
After posting a season-best 290 overall score in the final round, Ohio stayed in the middle of the pack. Despite the improved score, the team did not bold well in the final standings.
“We played well,” coach Bob Cooley said. “We didn’t do well the first round, but we played decently. Two guys played well, Peyton and Drew, so we did alright. 290 is a pretty good score.”
On a brighter note, freshman Peyton White carried the load for the Bobcats.
The Mid-American Conference player of the week posted a 68 round score on the last round and now has been the Bobcats’ best player in each of the past three tournaments.
White finished the tournament with six birdies, five of which came between holes two through eight.
“I just try to do what I can every week,” White said. “I just try to do the best for the team each week. Golf is an individual sport and a team sport so I just try to make sure each shot counts.”
Junior Andrew Mlynarski and senior Phil Gieseker tied for 52nd place, as the two finished with an overall score of 226.
Senior Bradley Lucas finished the tournament 15-above-par, while junior Tommy Leech rounded out the Bobcats with a total accumulated score of 238.
Other than placing fourth during the first round of the Wolf Run Invitational, White and the rest of the Bobcats’ have failed to record a top-five finish in any round this year.
With the challenging course in Akron, the team practiced their teeing off and driving before the tournament.
Despite finishing in first place after day one, Washington State was outscored by South Carolina-Aiken in the final round 282-293.
Eastern Michigan’s Stuart Grehan was the medalist for the tournament, as he posted two consecutive 67-stroke scores for nine-under-par.
Kansas State had two golfers, Matt Green and Alex Carney, finish in the top five despite the team’s fourth place finish.
The Bobcats’ will finish out their fall season in three weeks, when they compete in the Cobra Puma Invitational in Fort Myers, Fla.
“It’s always nice to golf in Florida,” White said. “It will be great to fly as a team. Everybody on our team is really close and we all have each other’s backs no matter how good or poorly we play.”
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@Lukeoroark
