Ohio wrapped up its fall season Tuesday by falling back from its Monday finish at the Dayton Fall Invitational.
The Bobcats tied for 11th place in the tournament Tuesday after finishing seventh on the first day of play.
“We were disappointed with how this part of the season went for us,” said senior Byron Firestone. “We only lost one player to graduation, so we had high expectations and have failed to play to our potential so far.”
Firestone had one of his best rounds of the season Tuesday, finishing 19th overall in the 100-player field. His score of 72 was five strokes better than his first-round tally.
Freshman Brad Burgess, who shot a 73 on Monday, faltered on his second lap around the course, turning in a tally of 82. However, senior Michael Lamping and junior Connor Coldwater both performed well on day two, as they each finished with scores of 77 on the day.
Oakland won the tournament after starting the day tied for fifth place, six strokes behind then-leader, Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne (IPFW). Oakland was the only team to shoot below par Tuesday, finishing seven shots under the mark.
Oakland senior Nick Cunningham took home the tournament’s top honors, beating the field with a two-round score of 140. Dayton senior John Muir finished one stroke back of the lead.
IPFW finished the tournament in second place, while Valparaiso, Detroit Mercy and Western Kentucky finished out the top five.
The Bobcats struggled during their fall tournaments, as they failed to finish within a tournament’s top ten.
They will have a lot of time to square away their play before their next tournament, as Tuesday’s match signaled the end of Ohio’s fall schedule.
“This break that we have is going to help us,” Firestone said. “We have a chance to work on our basics and fundamentals and that’s what we need.”
tj790511@ohiou.edu
