Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include additional content about top Ohio performers.
Ohio’s golf teams have taken their last competitive swings until the spring season begins.
The men’s team finished their fall season strong with their best tournament of the season on a course regarded as one of the toughest on which it played.
At the NCR Country Club, the Bobcats finished in sixth place on the first day of the Dayton Invitational.
Byron Firestone competed individually and tied for first on the opening day with a score of 71.
Junior Michael Lamping led Ohio’s team score while Firestone finished first among all those who competed individually with a score of 143.
The men’s team finished the tournament in third place.
Lamping finished tied for eighth among all golfers with a score of 146.
Coach Bob Cooley was excited his team finished well and said this tournament has been what he has wanted to see all season.
“That’s your secret to having a good team is when you have five or six guys that you can not be afraid to pick any of them to go out and represent your school on a golf course,” Cooley said.
Cooley said he was pleased with his team’s improvement, but recognizes that more work is needed.
“I’m happy now from where we started six weeks ago,” Cooley said.” “We’re getting better, but we still have a long ways to go.”
The women’s team finished fourth out of seven teams with a score of 643.
The Bobcats finished 46 strokes behind the host Akron, who won the tournament.
Freshman Julie Lechner finished with the best individual score of the tournament and tied for tenth for the best overall score.
Sisters Meryl and Megan Weaver contributed the top two team performances for the Bobcats. Megan finished second overall with a two-round score of 147 by turning in scorecards of 73 and 74.
Meryl shot a second-round 71, which was the lowest round of the tournament and a new career low for her.
Despite the players' strong finishes, coach Kelly Ovington said she thought the team could have placed higher.
“I thought we had a good chance of playing well and winning this tournament,” Ovington said. “Fourth place is not where we wanted to finish.
“This was a challenging course, but I knew we could have scored better there.”
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