TicketsCINCINNATI – The Cincinnati men’s golf team posted a strong showing in the opening round of the Bearcat Invitational Monday, sitting atop the team leaderboard at 12-under-par through 36 holes at Coldstream Country Club. The Bearcats posted a 6-under 278 in each round to lead the tournament by six strokes over Louisville entering the final round Tuesday. The Cardinals sit second at 6-under with Arkansas-Little Rock in third at 3-under.
Bearcats Leo Wessel and Rylan Wotherspoon are in a tie for eighth at 3-under while Ryan Ford sits a stroke back in a tie for 13th. Connor Cassano is tied for 20th at 1-under while Connor McNeely rounds out the Bearcat lineup in a tie for 26th at even-par.
Ford paced the Bearcats in the opening round with a 3-under 68, carding five birdies to go with a double-bogey on the par-3 11th hole. Cassano and Wotherspoon each backed him up with a 2-under 69. Cassano notched three birdies against a bogey while Wotherspoon had four birdies with a pair of bogeys. The round tied a career low for Cassano, who spent his freshman year last season at LSU.
The Bearcats then jumped out to a scorching hot start in the afternoon, reaching 11-under for the round before making the turn. Wessel bounced back from a 1-over 72 in the morning, making birdie on three of his first seven holes on his way to a 4-under 67, jumping 28 spots in the second session. Meanwhile, Wotherspoon birdied four of his first five on his way to a 1-under 70 second round.
McNeely also shined in the afternoon after a 2-over 73 in the morning, posting a 2-under 69 in the afternoon for his low round of the young season and a 25-spot climb. Ford remained steady in the top 15 with a 1-over 72 and, rounding out the Bearcat lineup in the afternoon, Cassano rebounded from a slow start to his round to birdie three of his last six for a 1-over 72.
Final-round play gets underway at 9 a.m. Tuesday at Coldstream Country Club. Admission is open to all.
Cincinnati Scores
T8. Ryan Wotherspoon | 70-69=139
T8. Leo Wessel | 72-67=139
T13. Ryan Ford | 68-72=140
T20. Connor Cassano | 69-72=141
T26. Connor McNeely | 73-69=142
T50. Brayden Miller (Ind.) | 74-72=146
T56. River Stilley (Ind.) | 71-76=147
T89. Davis Gochenouer (Ind.) | 74-80=154