TicketsLAS VEGAS -- Ty Gingerich carded a 6-under 66 to tie for seventh, and Cincinnati is within one stroke of its hopeful top-five spot after the first round of the Las Vegas Regional at Bear's Best.
"I thought as we started the round, we were a little uptight and nervous," head coach Doug Martin said. "It's the first NCAA round for five guys, and the front nine is the harder of the two. We got out a little bit slow and made some mistakes, but we stayed patient. Last night I said we'd have to make a lot of birdies. We were able to rally towards the end of the round to 11-under par and stay in contention."
Three teams are tied for fifth at 12-under, while Cincinnati joins No. 45 San Francisco and Oregon State for eighth at 11-under. Gingerich had a team-high seven birdies, including each of the last two holes. It was one stroke off a career-low and his best for any of his opening rounds this year.
"I'm really happy and excited," Gingerich said of his day. "This is what I wanted to do: get off to a good start and help the team as much as I can to put us in a good spot for the next two rounds."
Freshman Ryan Ford and fifth-year senior Sam Jean are 19th and 25th with a 4-under 68 and 3-under 69, respectively. The two had just one bogey combined, with Jean picking up where he left off from an individual appearance at last season's Columbus Regional.
Rylan Wotherspoon shook off a double-bogey on the first hole to finish completely even the rest of the way.
As for the squad as a whole, its highest round in each of the last two tournaments was its first, so there is plenty more to look forward to over the next two days.
"The worst thing you can do on Day One is shoot yourself out of the tournament," Martin said. "We're one away from the number, and as I told the guys after today, 36 is our goal. I think 36-under guarantees that we get out of here. I was proud of our fight today, but we just have to come out a little more ready to go. We were today, but we were also a little uptight."
Cincinnati Scores
T7. Ty Gingerich (66)
T19. Ryan Ford (68)
T25. Sam Jean (69)
T62. Rylan Wotherspoon (74)
T74. William McDonald (79)
Team Scores
1. Arizona State (262)
2. Stanford (268)
3. Virginia (269)
4. East Tennessee State (272)
T5. UNC Greensboro (276)
T5. Oklahoma State (276)
T5. Davidson (276)
T8. Cincinnati (277)
T8. Oregon State (277)
T8. San Francisco (277)
11. Northwestern (278)
12. Long Beach State (285)
13. Kansas City (289)
14. Lehigh (294)
"I thought as we started the round, we were a little uptight and nervous," head coach Doug Martin said. "It's the first NCAA round for five guys, and the front nine is the harder of the two. We got out a little bit slow and made some mistakes, but we stayed patient. Last night I said we'd have to make a lot of birdies. We were able to rally towards the end of the round to 11-under par and stay in contention."
Three teams are tied for fifth at 12-under, while Cincinnati joins No. 45 San Francisco and Oregon State for eighth at 11-under. Gingerich had a team-high seven birdies, including each of the last two holes. It was one stroke off a career-low and his best for any of his opening rounds this year.
"I'm really happy and excited," Gingerich said of his day. "This is what I wanted to do: get off to a good start and help the team as much as I can to put us in a good spot for the next two rounds."
Midday check-in. 📸
— Cincinnati M-Golf (@GoBearcatsMGOLF) May 15, 2023
Ty Gingerich's 4-under has him tied for 8th through 12. pic.twitter.com/jff3DvPLp0
Freshman Ryan Ford and fifth-year senior Sam Jean are 19th and 25th with a 4-under 68 and 3-under 69, respectively. The two had just one bogey combined, with Jean picking up where he left off from an individual appearance at last season's Columbus Regional.
Rylan Wotherspoon shook off a double-bogey on the first hole to finish completely even the rest of the way.
As for the squad as a whole, its highest round in each of the last two tournaments was its first, so there is plenty more to look forward to over the next two days.
"The worst thing you can do on Day One is shoot yourself out of the tournament," Martin said. "We're one away from the number, and as I told the guys after today, 36 is our goal. I think 36-under guarantees that we get out of here. I was proud of our fight today, but we just have to come out a little more ready to go. We were today, but we were also a little uptight."
Cincinnati Scores
T7. Ty Gingerich (66)
T19. Ryan Ford (68)
T25. Sam Jean (69)
T62. Rylan Wotherspoon (74)
T74. William McDonald (79)
Team Scores
1. Arizona State (262)
2. Stanford (268)
3. Virginia (269)
4. East Tennessee State (272)
T5. UNC Greensboro (276)
T5. Oklahoma State (276)
T5. Davidson (276)
T8. Cincinnati (277)
T8. Oregon State (277)
T8. San Francisco (277)
11. Northwestern (278)
12. Long Beach State (285)
13. Kansas City (289)
14. Lehigh (294)
Today's the day.
— Cincinnati M-Golf (@GoBearcatsMGOLF) May 15, 2023
This is for us. This is for Cincinnati. #Bearcats pic.twitter.com/o24oBQ6NHY