Bernard falters in final round of Ohio Am

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By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer Updated 10:27 PM Friday, July 15, 2011

KETTERING — Michael Bernard started Friday’s final round of the Ohio Amateur Championship with a one-shot lead, and then boosted his momentum with a birdie on the first hole.

For the rest of the round, the Huber Heights resident and defending champion struggled to score.

Bernard shot 6-over-par 77 at NCR Country Club’s South Course to finish the tournament tied for third place with Michael Cress of Dublin at 2-over, three shots behind winner Korey Ward of West Chester.

“It was a really bad score, but I didn’t feel like I played quite as bad as I scored,” said Bernard, an incoming Wayne High School senior. “I hit some good shots down the stretch; I just hit too many bad ones, too.”

Bernard combined two birdies with eight bogeys. He was within one shot of the lead after scoring a birdie on No. 14 to get to even par, but he bogeyed the next hole to continue his slide.

“I just couldn’t get anything going,” he said.

Caddy help: Ward, who shot even par Friday after scoring a 4-over 75 on Thursday, said the biggest difference was his caddy.

For the first two rounds, girlfriend Nichole Kulinski served as Ward’s caddy, but she didn’t Thursday. She returned Friday for the winning round.

“Jokingly, I told her (Thursday’s higher score) was her fault,” Ward said.

Kulinski, like Ward, recently graduated from Lakota West High School, where she played softball. She said her involvement with golf stops at going to the driving range with Ward.

Even though she’s not a regular player, Kulinski said she was able to enjoy Ward’s round, despite a few minor disagreements.

“Of course we’re going to bicker a little bit,” she said, “because we’re dating.”

Second place: Danny Lewis of Morrow, who recently finished his Northern Kentucky golf career, started the final round at 2-over, but led the tournament briefly when Ward bogeyed No. 16 to reach even par. Lewis had reached 1-under at the time, but he bogeyed No. 18 after a lip-out par putt. When Ward parred the final hole, Lewis had a second-place finish in his first Ohio Am.

“I struggled in the college season in the spring,” Lewis said. “I’ve been practicing and trying to get my game back.”

Key ruling: Ward called for a rules official on the par-5 No. 10 when, after his third-shot approach rolled within inches of the hole, his ball moved when he removed the flag. No penalty was assessed, and Ward tapped in for birdie.

Local finishes: Five Dayton-area players were among the final 40 to play Friday: Bernard (tied for third, +2 for the tournament), Ben Boyer (Dayton, tied for fifth, +5), Nicholas Scott (Union, tied for fifth, +5), Pete Samborsky (Dayton, 11th, +8), Jeff Scohy (Bellbrook, tied for 13th, +10).

Hole rankings: The toughest hole Friday was the 460-yard par-4 12th, which saw just one birdie and 22 bogeys. The easiest was the 548-yard par-5 10th, on which players recorded two eagles and 16 birdies.

Etc.: Lewis and Michael Drobnick of Hilliard were the only two players under par Friday, as both shot 2-under 69. ... The first-round leader, Kevin Miller of Dover (who shot 65 on Tuesday), finished tied for eighth place at 6-over after a final-round 77.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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