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| Evan Ferrara |
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| Jimmy Hinton |
This Week's Outlook: The College of Wooster men's golf team heads to Westbrook Country Club in Mansfield, Ohio for the 2018 North Coast Athletic Conference Championships. The 54-hole tournament is set to open on Friday, April 27 and conclude on Sunday, April 29. Teams are slated to play 18 holes per day.
Tee Times: Friday's men's tee times start at 10:09 a.m., and pairings will be announced after the Golfstat rankings are updated. Tee times for the second and third rounds will be based on the team standings. The men will tee off on No. 10 starting at 12:27 p.m. on Saturday and No. 1 starting at 9 a.m. on Sunday.
Media Coverage: The student-athletes will be entering their scores throughout the tournament at http://results.golfstat.com//public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=13535.
A Look-Back at the 2017 NCAC Championships: Wooster placed eighth at the 2017 NCAC Championship Series with a 958 in a tournament that was shortened from 72 to 54 holes due to the weather. Then-first-year Evan Ferrara (Kent, Ohio/Roosevelt) finished two strokes out of contention for a spot on the all-conference team. Ferrara tied for 21st-place with a 237 thanks in large part to a strong 77 in the opening round, and a 78 in the second round.
A First in Since 2009: Wooster captured the team title at the seven-team Earlham Fall Classic this fall, and the win marked the Scots' first outright tournament victory since the spring of 2009. All five student-athletes in the lineup scored within the field's top-11, including four in the top-10. Wooster sat two shots back of first-place at the midway point of the tournament and won by seven strokes.
O'Hern Shines in Rookie Season: Colin O'Hern's (Dennison, Minn./St. Paul's Academy) rookie season has been absolutely remarkable. The lefty fired an even-par 144 at the season-opening Gatorade Collegiate, and in doing so, earned tri-medalist honors. O'Hern, Wooster's first medalist since alumnus and now volunteer assistant coach John Angelo captured the top honor at the season-ending 2013 NCAC Invitational, turned in a 2-under-par 70 in his first collegiate round. That's believed to be the lone inaugural collegiate round under par during head coach Rich Danch's 22-year tenure as the Scots' mentor. On the year, O'Hern is averaging 75.2 stroke per round, and has a trio of top-five finishes.
Mr. Clutch: At the Earlham Fall Invitational, O'Hern forced a playoff with an eagle on the par-5, 535-yard No. 18, and he went on to birdie the playoff hole to claim medalist honors. The rookie charged back after an 11-over-par 82 in the opening round with a 2-over-par 73 on Sunday.
The "Birdie King": Sophomore Jimmy Hinton (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) earned the "Birdie King" crown at the rain-shorted Nye Intercollegiate back on April 14. Hinton had red numbers of five of his first eight holes en route to an even-par 72, a score that earned the sophomore co-medalist honors for the tournament. Hinton birdied three straight holes at one point on the front nine, and was at 3-under-par at the turn. On the year, Hinton's 77.9 strokes per round is third-best on the team, and he's coming off of back-to-back 77s at last weekend's Defiance Spring Invitational.
Ferrara Providing Steady Contributions for Scots: Ferrara placed third at the Dan Quayle Collegiate Classic this fall thanks to an even-par 71 in the final round. For the tournament, Ferrara shot a 1-over-par 143 to finish two shots back of medalist Mikel Merker from Mount Saint Joseph University. The result marked Ferrara's second top-20 finish of the season and first top-five claim. Ferrara's second on the team with 77.4 strokes per round.
Tully Goes Low: Senior Brenden Tully (Canton, Ohio/Canton Central Catholic) tied for 12th-place at last weekend's Defiance Spring Invitational. Tully turned in his lowest round of the season on Saturday with a 1-over-par 71, and he finished at 148 for the 36-hole tournament.
Roney's Steady Play of Late Leads to Lineup Spot: First-year David Roney's (Castle Rock, Colo./Douglas County) recent surge has parlayed to a start in the lineup for the NCAC Championships. Roney, who is averaging 79.6 stroke per round, has three 77s over the last four rounds, including at the rain-shorted Nye Intercollegiate, where he tied for 15th-place.