Ohio men's golf prepares for the Firestone Invitational on Monday.
After finishing 10th at the John Feaganes Marshall Invitational, Ohio hopes to recapture what it displayed on the first day of the tournament at the Firestone Invitational.
On the first two rounds at the John Feaganes Marshall invitational, the Bobcats were tied for second, as junior Peyton White was leading the field after 36 holes. Then the second day came and fatigue, from walking the course and playing multiple holes, set in.
“I think the first two rounds at Marshall were the first two rounds as a team we have shot under par since I have been here,” White said. “It is a huge building blocks for us and we did it twice in a row, so if we can find a way to just kind of keep that going into the third round I think we are going to have a heck of a season.”
Coming into the Firestone Invitational at Akron, coach Bob Cooley plans on playing the same five golfers he did in their first tournament: White, Ty Herriott, Mike Engelman, Grant Engel and Ben Sattler.
“It’s tough because golf is an individual sport, but it is also a team sport, so you just need to find a way to do your part,” White said. “If you start thinking about it to much and then you start thinking about the future and winning the tournament it is hard, but you have to really focus on playing it one shot at a time.”
The format of the tournament is set up with a practice round built in on Sunday; with tournament play starting Monday with 36 holes, and ending on Tuesday with an additional 18 holes.
“Practice rounds kind of give you a chance to just get a feel for the course, and figure out how you want to approach it,” White said. “It’s a great way to figure out each hole, and give you the best chance coming in.”
Cooley said he was expecting teams from all around the Midwest to come to the tournament, including St. Mary’s from California.
“Firestone is an awesome golf course, its great to play on a golf course that is in great condition,” White said. “It’s an awesome track, it’s really fun, and they treat us like royalty.”
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