West Chester teen leads Ohio Amateur at midway point

Michael Bernard chips up on the 3rd green Wednesday July 13 during the second round of the Ohio Amateur golf tournament held at NCR County Club. STAFF PHOTO JIM NOELKER

JIM NOELKER Michael Bernard chips up on the 3rd green Wednesday July 13 during the second round of the Ohio Amateur golf tournament held at NCR County Club. STAFF PHOTO JIM NOELKER

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Former pro has rough finish at Ohio Am

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By Bucky Albers, Contributing Writer Updated 12:41 AM Thursday, July 14, 2011

KETTERING — For the second day in succession, one of the last players on the golf course in the Ohio Amateur Championship came in with the best round of the day and climbed near the top of the leaderboard at NCR Country Club.

After Korey Ward of West Chester posted a 3-under-par 68 to take the 36-hole lead at 5-under, Michael Cress of Dublin fired a 67 to move into second place with 4-under at the halfway point of this four-day event.

Par remained an elusive score for most of the 141 players at NCR South, but there are five others with subpar scores. Kevin Miller of Dover, the first-round leader with a 65, posted a 74 that put him in a third place tie at 3-under with Jay Overy of Grafton, who followed his first-round 68 with a 71.

Pete Samborsky, the Wright State University golf coach, is fifth at 2-under after his second straight 70, and Ben Boyer of Dayton also shot 70 to tie defending champion Michael Bernard of Huber Heights (71) for sixth place.

Nick Scott of Union shot 70 to join two others lurking five shots off the lead at 142 (even par).

Sixty players made the cut by posting scores of 151 (9-over) or better. That number includes Dayton-area players Andrew Bonar, Ryan Reichley, Jeffrey Scohy, Corey Weckerling, Bob Jones and John Sherman.

“I played well today,” said the 19-year-old Ward, a Lakota West High School graduate who will enroll at Xavier University in the fall. “I putted well and hit the ball well.”

Cress, who recently used up his golf eligibility at Ohio State University, had seven birdies and three bogeys. He was 5-under when he bogeyed the 17th.

Samborsky was pleased with his 1-under-par 70, especially after knocking in a 10-footer for birdie at No. 18.

“My thought is that 6- to 8-under wins,” he said. “My plan is to get to 6- to 8-under.”

If the 17-year-old Bernard, who blitzed the field last year at Kirtland Country Club in Willoughby, can win back-to-back Ohio Am titles, he would duplicate a feat accomplished by Arnold Palmer, John Cook, Ben Curtis and Jason Kokrak.

“Basically, I just want to hit good shots,” he said. “I just want to keep playing steady.”

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