Tough first round for locals in D-II girls tournament

Staff report

ColumbuS

Jitters can get to even the best professional golfers, so when the girls of Lakeview’s golf team stood on the first tee Friday set to begin their first round of the Division II state golf tournament, nerves were almost expected to be a factor.

Turned out they were, and it resulted in a seventh place finish after day one.

Ryan Rosenberger and Ashley Frasca shot a 52 and 51 respectively on their first nine and the Bulldogs’ top player all season, Kaylee Neumeister, started out double bogey, bogey to begin her round on the Scarlet Course at Ohio State University.

“This group has proven time and again that they can overcome adversity and they showed that again today,” Lakeview coach Mike Turco said after the first round.

Neumeister turned her game around quickly to shoot a 39 on the back nine — the team’s first nine — and finish with a round of 78. Rosenberger closed with a 40 on the front nine for a 92, and Frasca finished with a round of 94.

“For Kaylee and Ryan to go out today, on a pretty tough course — with tough greens — and shoot a 78 and 92, that’s a solid performance in a high pressure situation,” Turco said. “For a young team, this is a valuable experience.”

Taylor Horn rounded out the Bulldogs’ day with a 105, giving Lakeview a team score of 369.

Poland’s Melinda Hannon was also on the course Friday morning and she experienced some of the same first round struggles. She said it wasn’t as much jitters, as it was bad holes that led to her score of 90.

“It was a rough day and nothing was really working for me,” Hannon said. “But I went to the range after and worked on some things that’ll hopefully help me [today].”

She recorded a par on the first two holes, but struggled on the third and said she lost her focus after that. After Hannon made the turn, she was hoping her game would make a turn as well.

“My coach was great,” Hannon said. “He kept me calm out on the course and kept telling me how good I had to be just to get there.

“I just want to go out and play better, the best I know I can play, and sort of redeem myself for [Friday].”