Sept. 8, 2014
Results After a slow start in the morning's opening round, the University of Cincinnati men's golf team surged into second place following second-round play at the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational at the Guyan Golf and Country Club (par 71; 6,573 yards) in Huntington, West Virginia. The Bearcats finished the first round tied for sixth place at 9-over 293, but rallied for the tournament's best team round through 36 holes at 7-under 277. UC is second among the 15 competing teams at 2-over 293-277=570, five strokes behind event leader Youngstown State (284-281=565). At 5-over par, Cleveland State (280-293=573) and Radford (282-291=573) are tied for third after finishing the opening round in first and second, respectively. "We didn't play well in the morning but we were able to bounce back in the afternoon round. That showed a lot of character," UC head coach Doug Martin said. "Nothing is given to you in golf. You have to go out and earn it and that's a good lesson to learn from the first round." // Strong Freshman Debut Leading the way for the Bearcats is freshman Davis Baxter (Nolensville, Tenn./Ravenwood High School), who jumped 11 spots in the standings after his play in the second round to finish the day in eighth place at 1-under 72-69=141. Teammate senior Baxter Reeves (Montgomery, Ala./Brewbaker Tech/Central Alabama CC) is one stroke behind Baxter, in a seven-way tie for ninth place, at even par 71-71=142. Bowling Green State's Jose Narro leads the 92-player field at 7-under par 69-66=135. "Davis has a lot of talent and has mental toughness beyond his years on a golf course," Martin said. "He handled himself very well today as he continues to compete in his first collegiate tournament." // Other Bearcat Scores UC seniors John Michael O'Toole (Pinson, Ala./Pinson Valley High School/Central Alabama CC) and Jared Howard (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome High School) are tied for 26th-place. O'Toole took 11 strokes off his score from the morning round to end the day at 3-over 78-67=145. His 4-under 67 was the tournament's best score of the second round. Howard shaved five strokes from his morning tally to post a 3-over 75-70=145. "John Michael was off sorts with his swing in the morning but he went out and played very well in the afternoon," Martin said. "His play in the second round has put us back in contention and gives us a chance on Tuesday." UC sophomore Jared O'Kelley (Canton, Ga./Creekview High School) is tied for 35th place at 5-over 75-72=147. Sophomore Brennen Walsh (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder High School), playing as an individual, is tied for 42nd place at 76-72=148. // Final Round Action Tuesday The final round of the Marshall Invitational starts Tuesday at 8 a.m. ET. Live scoring is not available but follow @UCmensGolf for occasional updates throughout the day.