Murray Still On Top At Ohio Am Golf Tourney

DAYTON, Ohio —A day after shocking most of the field by rising to the top of the leaderboard, Lucas Murray was more than happy to be there again.

The virtual unknown from a small town near Canton stood up to the pressure Wednesday and took a two-shot lead midway through the 103rd Ohio Amateur golf championship at Moraine Country Club.

He followed his opening 68 with a second round 1-over-par 73 and stands at 3-under 141.

“A lot of my friends told me to just forget about what happened (in the first round),“ the 20-year-old Murray said. “Yesterday was over. I had to put a whole new round together and just not worry about yesterday. I tried not to even think about the same shots I had as yesterday because you can let a 68 or a good number like that get to you and put more pressure on than is needed.“

Murray has the lead, but he also has two of the top young golfers in the state hot on his heels.

At 143 were defending champion Vaughn Snyder, a former Ohio State player, who shot a 74, and Arkansas golfer Ethan Tracy (71).

Snyder said he scuffled around the course, yet still found himself close to the lead.

“For as bad as I have played for much of the tournament, I’ve been able to really catch fire for a few stretches and keep myself in it,“ he said. “Hopefully I can just limit the mistakes.“

While others were failing to negotiate their way around the 7,061-yard, par-72 layout, particularly around the fast, undulating greens, Murray hung on.

Starting his round on the 10th hole, he had birdies at Nos. 13 and 17 and a bogey at No. 15. Turning in 1 under, he double-bogeyed the par-3 fifth hole and then parred out.

In his first crack at the Ohio Amateur, Murray entered the tournament relatively unknown.

Murray is from East Sparta, about 5 miles south of Canton. He played two years at Mount Union but is transferring to Akron next season and will continue to play golf.

“My goal today was 73 or 74, just because if you put yourself at 2 or 3 under, you’re in really good shape for the last two rounds,“ he said. “I still think even-par or 1 under may win this tournament because the pins are going to get harder and harder. Everybody knows that.“

If that’s the case, Snyder will not be happy.

“The pins are ridiculous,“ he said of where the sponsoring Ohio Golf Association had put the holes. “They had some pins today where you’re right below the hole and you put it up and it would roll right back to you. That’s not golf.“

Snyder, a Massillon native who won the Ohio Am by two shots a year ago, had difficulty getting anything going for the first 12 holes. He double-bogeyed the easy par-4 11th, pulling his drive in to a tree and then advancing his second shot only 40 yards. He hooked his third shot left of the green, flopped the ball back to the far side of the green and left his bogey putt 10 feet short. He avoided a triple by making that putt, however.

He saved par at the next hole, but then birdied four of the final six.

Snyder, who will turn pro next week to play in the Ohio Open, has 12 birdies in 36 holes.

Tracy was a member of the Arkansas team that lost on the final hole of the final match at the NCAA golf championships in May at Inverness Club in Toledo.

“I had a good season in school so I’ve got a lot of confidence coming in,“ he said. “I’m feeling good about my game.“

Unlike Snyder, he has played steady throughout, seldom making a low score but also avoiding many bad ones. He has just four bogeys.

Another shot back were 15-year-old Huber Heights Wayne High School junior Michael Bernard, who matched the low round of the day with a 70; Indiana junior Alex Martin (73); and Bellbrook’s Jeff Scohy (71).

Bernard said he didn’t think his lack of experience worked against him.

“I don’t think I’m at a disadvantage,“ he said. “I’ve played a lot of competitive golf. I’ve played greens just as tricky as these are.“

Only seven players broke par a day after 12 turned the trick on the fast and treacherous greens at Moraine. The dozen who broke par in the first round came back with an average score of 76. Among the victims were 1995 Ohio Am champion Alan Fadel, who lapsed from a 71 to an 80, and Moraine club champion Ben Boyer, 70 to 77.

No one broke 70 in the second round.

At 145 were Westerville’s Bryan Blake and former Ohio State player Kevin Grabeman. Another shot off the pace were Rob Chappell of Cincinnati (75), Mansfield’s Tom Ballinger (72), Findlay’s Steve Drake (75), Richard Boerner of Hilliard (71) and two-time Ohio Amateur champion Robert Gerwin II (72).