The Bobcats looked to build on their 13th place finish to open their 2026 campaign this week as they traveled to Wisconsin for the University of Wisconsin’s Badger Invitational.
The team played well over the three-day tournament, placing 14th at +17 out of 19 teams.
Heading into the opening round, the Bobcats came out playing their best round of the season at +5. Wittenberg transfer junior Mikey Schutte opened with a jaw-dropping three under to open tournament play. After starting the front nine one under with birdies on holes two and six, he continued to crush the ball as he finished two under on the back nine with a birdie on the 13th and an eagle on the 554-yard 16th.
Freshman Cole Jones followed close behind at even par. The New York native gave the Bobcats an even round with four birdies, four bogeys and 10 pars. At two over par came sophomore Gabriel Mainella.
Mainella opened tournament play with an even front nine that included birdies on holes two and five and five pars. While the back nine saw similar results, a costly double bogey on the 17th dropped him from even par to two over.
Sophomore Rylan Hall finished closely behind at six over par. He opened one over on the front nine with two birdies, three bogeys and four pars. Turning the corner, he struggled on the back nine with a double bogey and four bogeys, including three straight bogeys on holes 16 to 18.
Finally rounding out the group came freshman Will Mangas at nine over par. He finished the first round with a triple bogey, a double bogey, five bogeys, birdies on holes 11 and 13 and eight pars.
In the second round, they continued their strong start, dropping three strokes to finish two over par, placing them in 12th headed into the final round. Hall brought his “A” game for the second round, shooting two under.
Highlighted by an eagle on the second hole alongside birdies on the fifth and eighth, Hall continued to play well into the back nine with six pars and two birdies. One stroke back came Mangas at one under.
He opened on the back nine shooting two under with seven pars and two birdies. He’d pick up a stroke on the front with his lone bogey coming on the seventh alongside eight more pars. Mainella continued to give consistent golf for the Bobcats, finishing one over par.
Similar to Mangas, he opened the round with a strong back nine at one under par. After opening with bogeys on holes 10 and 14, he bounced back with three straight birdies on 15, 16 and 17. On the front, he picked up three bogeys to cancel out his birdie on the fifth to finish two over on his second nine.
Rounding out the group came Schutte and Jones. Schutte would finish four over with a solid back nine with six pars, back-to-back bogeys on 11 and 12 and a double bogey on the 13th. Schutte bounced back, shooting an even front nine with three birdies and four pars.
Heading into the final round in 12th, the Bobcats finished the tournament dropping two places with a +10 for an overall score of +17. Schutte continued to turn heads for Ohio, shooting one under. This was highlighted by an incredible four-under front nine that included birdies on the third and eighth and his second eagle of the tournament on the second.
Hall continued to provide consistent play for the Bobcats, finishing one over par. After shooting one over on the front with a birdie, two bogeys and six pars, he gave Ohio an even final nine with seven pars, a birdie and a bogey.
Mainella continued to be a solid third-spot golfer, finishing three over. He gave Ohio an even front nine, grabbing the Bobcats' second eagle of the round before struggling on the final nine, adding four bogeys.
Rounding out the core came Jones at +7 and Mangas at +12. Jones would finish with seven bogeys, a double bogey, two birdies and eight pars, while Mangas would finish with eight bogeys, two double bogeys and eight pars.
Schutte would lead the way for the Bobcats, tying for 21st at even par while tying for first for most eagles with two. He’d be followed by Hall tied for 53rd at +5, Mainella in 57th at +6, Jones in 85th at +13 and rounded out with Mangas in 98th at +20.
As a team, Ohio tied for most eagles in the tournament with four and tied for ninth on average score on par threes at 3.15 (+11). Ohio looks to build off its chemistry in Wisconsin as the Bobcats travel to Kettering, Ohio, on Oct. 12-13 for the Moraine Intercollegiate.
