May 4, 2006
INDIANAPOLIS - At the midway point of the 2006 Mid-American Conference Men's Golf Championship at Brickyard Crossing, Ohio is tied for sixth as a team and has four of its competitors in the top 20 individually.
The Bobcats opened the three-day event with rounds of 292 and 295 on Thursday to tie Miami with a team score of 587. Defending champion Kent State leads the nine-team field with a 36-hole mark of 574 (286-288).
Ohio juniors Grant Christman (Columbus, Ohio) and Mark Cimarolli (Pittsburgh, Pa.) are tied for 13th with identical scores of 146 after two rounds. Bobcat seniors Brian Bickle (Gallipolis, Ohio) and Jon Johasky (Lower Burrell, Pa.) are two strokes back in a tie for 19th place.
With back-to-back rounds of 76 on the 6,994-yard, par-72 course, Ohio sophomore Mark Phillips (Hilliard, Ohio) is tied for 35th out of 45 individual participants.
Four birdies over his first 10 holes gave Christman a one-under-par score midway through the first round but bogeys on three of his next four holes put him at two-over. He rebounded with a birdie on his second-to-last hole to end up with an opening-round 73.
Starting on the 10th hole again in the second round, Christman posted two birdies and two bogeys across the back nine but an eagle on the par-4 first hole and a birdie on the par-5 2nd hole had him at three-under. Although he followed up a triple-bogey on the par-3 fourth hole with a birdie on the par-4 fifth, he recorded two more bogeys down the stretch to finish the day with another 73.
Cimarolli, Ohio's top finisher in the previous two tournaments, offset two bogeys with two birdies during his first nine holes but two more bogeys and a double-bogey on the par-4 3rd hole placed him at four-over. Two straight birdies on six and seven, however, allowed him to post a 74 in the opening round.
After his second round began with a bogey on the 10th hole, Cimarolli caught fire and scored two birdies and an eagle over his next five holes. He cooled off with a double-bogey on 17 and a triple-bogey on 18 but shot the front nine at two-under to finish with an even-par 72.
Bickle recovered from a double-bogey on his first hole to record three birdies over his next five holes. His first-round score of 71 had him in a tie for eighth place after 18 holes and he began his second round with a birdie.
After five straight pars, he followed a pair of bogeys with a double-bogey to conclude the back nine at three-over. His front nine got off to a good start with two birdies but a bogey on the fourth hole and a triple-bogey on the par-4 eighth gave him a 77 for the round.
Johasky's opening round included six bogeys and four birdies for a two-over 74. He carded 15 pars and a birdie in the second round but a bogey on 17 and a double-bogey on 18 resulted in another 74.
At four-under, Eastern Michigan's Bryan Haase is tied for the lead with Jared Steger of Northern Illinois. Both co-leaders shot a 69 in the opening round followed by a 71 in the second.
Play continues Friday morning with all competitors beginning on hole No. 1 and playing 18 holes. Third-round tee times start at 8 a.m. Saturday's final round will begin at 7:30 a.m.
The tournament, hosted by Ball State University, features live hole-by-hole scoring results. Those results are available by CLICKING HERE.
