When the Bobcats tee off at the Rich Harvest Farms golf course Friday, they’ll aim for a high yield and low scores.
Ohio will take part in its last meet of the year at the Mid-American Conference Tournament in DeKalb, Ill., this weekend. The team is coming off a seventh-place finish in the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational despite three Ohio golfers placing in the top-25.
The Bobcats finished ninth — and last — in the MAC Tournament a year ago. Ohio junior Bradley Lucas finished one stroke out of the top 10 in that tournament. Ohio senior John Mlynarski said the Bobcats are entering the tournament relishing the underdog tag.
“We definitely have some motivation going into there because we’re pretty near the end in the conference, and we’re going to try to prove something,” Mlynarski said.
Ohio sophomore Connor Coldwater said he thinks the team is prepared after a week break and is looking forward to a clean slate.
“I think the last few days at practice and talking to the guys, I think that everyone feels that they’re at a good part in their game,” he said. “I think it does help that we are playing against a difficult course. It puts it on a more level playing field.”
The course is ranked number 58 in Golf Digest’s top-100 courses. The tournament will feature 36 holes on Friday and 18 holes on Saturday and Sunday.
The course is one of the longest Ohio will play this year. It is an 1,800-acre golf course with a famous fourth hole called ”Devil’s Elbow,” which requires an extremely precise tee shot to set up a good second shot.
The Bobcats will be paired with Toledo and Bowling Green Friday.
Coldwater said he thinks the team has had a successful season that has shown progress throughout the year, even though their record may not reflect that.
“We have nothing to lose. Why not go out and try as best as we can?” Coldwater said.
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