Martin, Tracy Share Ohio Am Lead

DAYTON, Ohio —On a day when the defending champion was off his game and a 15-year-old kid hung near the lead, Alex Martin and Ethan Tracy rose to the top at the Ohio Amateur.

Martin shot a 2-under 70 and Tracy had a 71 to share the lead at 2-under 214 through Thursday’s third round at Moraine Country Club.

Vaughn Snyder, who came back to win at Findlay Country Club last year, and Huber Heights Wayne sophomore-to-be Michael Bernard are also in the mix of what has become a tournament with a lot of subplots.

Martin, who will be a senior on Indiana’s team, said he hoped to stay away from all the drama.

“I’m going to try and not pay attention to all of that,“ the Middletown native said. “The course is going to be playing tougher tomorrow - they’ll probably set up the pins even tougher. They’re trying to make it so that there’s maybe only one player under par, much like it was last year and the two years before that. I need to keep my goals to shooting something around par or better and not watch anybody else.“

Asked how he liked being on top, Tracy said, “I like it. Alex Martin’s a great player. I’m looking forward to playing with him tomorrow. He’s really playing well right now. I’m going to have to play well to beat him.“

Tracy played this past May for Arkansas, which lost to Texas A&M in the Division I men’s national championship match at Inverness Club in Toledo.

Lucas Murray, transferring from Mount Union to Akron this fall, led after each of the first two days but he made a double-bogey on the final hole for a 74 to finish a shot back.

“I really didn’t get any good breaks today,“ he said. “Maybe I’m saving up for tomorrow. If I get a couple of good breaks, I could easily shoot 70.“

Bernard, a 15-year-old sophomore-to-be at Huber Heights Wayne High School, had a 72 and was at 216.

Told he was all alone in fourth place, two shots off the lead, Bernard was shocked.

“Oh, wow. I wouldn’t have thought that,“ said the kid who had a 4.47 grade-point average as a freshman at Wayne. “I’m pretty excited about that. I’m definitely in a good position with a chance to win.“

It is believed he would be the youngest Ohio Am winner ever, if he were to pull off the feat.

Playing partner Jeff Scohy, a 31-year-old former military man, was impressed with Bernard’s poise.

“He’s good, man. He has a great future,“ Scohy said. “He hits it good, putts it good and doesn’t get flustered.“

Snyder was at 218 after sagging to a 75. He was tied with Nick Latimer (71), a senior on Kent State’s team last year, along with former Ohio State player Jeff Grabeman (73).

“I just played horrible the whole day. I’ve played that way for three days now and luckily nobody ran away with it so I’ve got a chance if I play a clean round tomorrow. But the way I’m playing I don’t really see it happening right now,“ said Snyder, who played for Ohio State this spring and plans on turning pro next week to play in the Ohio Open.

Only four players broke par among the 71 who survived the first cut to play in the third round. The field was narrowed to the low 40 scores and ties for Friday’s final round at Moraine Country Club.

Murray, who lives in East Sparta just south of Canton, started the day with a two-shot edge on Snyder and Tracy. He played flawlessly for the first 11 holes, birdieing Nos. 3 and 6 and parring the rest. But he ran into trouble on the back side.

He three-putted the 12th hole, and followed that with bogeys at 13 and 16. After a two-putt birdie on the par-5 17th, he doubled the last hole, hitting his drive offline and then three-putting on the slippery green from above the hole.

Tracy rolled in a birdie putt at No. 13 and then played solidly down the stretch. He even closed by hitting a twisting, sidehill par putt on his last stroke.

Martin was in the next-to-last group and finished in style. Even on his round, he birdied the final two holes for the low round of the day.

Everyone in the field, meanwhile, was waiting for Snyder to make his move. But he struggled all day. He had three bogeys on the front side alone, and never really got untracked. After three-putting for bogey at the 630-yard, par-5 8th hole, he hurled his golf ball into some nearby weeds. While waiting to tee off, he flipped his putter at his bag and then kicked the back.

Then again, he was five shots back heading into the final round a year ago. He ended up shooting a 71 on the last day to win by two shots. Among those who blew chances at winning were Martin, who shot a 74, and Tracy, who had a 77.

But Snyder wasn’t optimistic about his chances this time.

“I was playing a lot better last year. Especially the third round, I really started to find my golf swing and I was making putts,“ he said. “This year it’s a completely different story.“