Ohio opened its season by finishing ninth at the A-Ga-Ming Invitational, where it saw strong performances from seniors Zoe Luebbers and Morgan Rodgers. The Bobcats looked to bring their flashes of success from Central Michigan to Sylvania for the Rocket Classic.
At Sylvania's Highland Meadows Golf Course, Ohio would finish the Rocket Classic at +94, which was good for sixth place out of seven teams competing, passing Marshall by nine strokes.
In the first round, the Bobcats finished +33, earning them fifth place. Sophomore Katie Husted opened the tournament finishing one over with an even back nine and a birdie on the fifth. At nine over came Luebbers, who struggled on the front nine with four bogeys and a triple bogey on the fourth before settling into a groove on the back cutting her bogeys to just three alongside six pars.
At +11 over came Ally Turner, who struggled with a triple bogey, two double bogeys, and five bogeys but made up for it with a birdie on the fourth. Sophomore Paige Treherne followed closely behind at +12 with six eight bogeys, two double bogeys, and eight pars.
Rodgers opened the round scoring a +14 with two double bogeys, a triple bogey and seven bogeys. Junior independent Saylor Whariff scored a solid round for the Bobcats, carding a +7, with a strong back nine with seven pars and two bogeys, while fellow freshman independent Charlotte Soler would kick off her collegiate debut with +9, scoring the first birdie of her career on hole eight.
Ohio dropped to sixth place following another +33. Leubbers led the way at three over par, dropping six strokes. On the front, she scored an even 37 with seven pars, a birdie and a bogey, and would carry that momentum onto the back nine with seven more pars, a bogey and a double bogey on the 14th.
Turner would improve as well, shooting two strokes better a nine-over. A triple bogey on the third cost her an otherwise solid round for the Bobcats, where she finished with nine pars, a birdie and seven bogeys.
At ten over par came Husted, who struggled on the front with two double bogeys and three bogeys before turning it around on the back, scoring three over with a birdie, four bogeys and four pars. Treherne shot one stroke better at eleven over with a consistent 40 on the front (+3) that included four pars, a birdie on the eighth and four bogeys.
Rodgers would drop two strokes to +12, led by a solid front nine with six pars, two bogeys, a double bogey on the first, before struggling on the back, tacking on two more double bogeys and four bogeys.
Whariff continued to play consistent golf, shooting +8. Finishing with eight bogeys and ten pars, six coming on the front nine. Finally, Soler would finish +13, where she turned it around on the back nine with a 39 that included five pars, three bogeys and a double on the 18th.
The Bobcats would finish the final round dropping five strokes, carding a +28 to cement their place in seventh. Luebbers carded her best round of the day, finishing one over par, highlighted by an even back nine with two birdies and five pars. Turner gave Ohio a solid round, shooting eight over. After shooting five over on the front nine with five bogeys, she’d cut the bogeys down to three and add six pars.
Rodgers would card her best round of the day at nine over par. She finished the final round with nine pars, seven bogeys, and a double bogey on 15th. At +11 came Husted; she’d shoot a strong three over on the front nine with six pars and three bogeys before picking up seven strokes on the back, adding five bogeys and a double on the 10th.
Treherne and Soler would both finish +11, where they'd both have strong back nines. Treherne would finish with a 38 (+4) with four bogeys and five pars, while Soler would finish with a 39 with four pars and a birdie on the 17th. Rounding out the core came Whariff at +13, finishing with two doubles, nine bogeys, and seven pars.
Luebber's consistent improvement would catapult her to fifth at +13, where she’d place seventh in average score on par 4s at 4.30 (+10), tied for third on average for par 5s at 4.89 (-1), and third for the most pars at 34.
Tied for 21st came Husted at +21, where she’d tied for fifth on pars with 32. She’d be followed closely behind Whariff and Turner in 31st at +28. In 38th at +33 came Soller, followed by Treherne at +34 in 39th, and Rodgers in 40th at +35th.
Ohio looks to put it all together as it travels for the third straight week to East Lansing for Michigan State’s Mary Fossum Invitational from Sunday, Sept. 20 to Monday, Sept. 21.
