Host pro Dave Bahr shot 75, Korey Ward, the 2011 Ohio Amateur champ, posted a 77, three-time Ohio Am champion Robert Gerwin shot 79 and five-time Metropolitan champion Pete Samborsky II checked in with 11 bogeys and two double bogeys for a shocking 86.
One of the few players from Dayton who had a good time was Alec Tahy, the 18-year-old from Alter High School who is headed for the University of Arkansas on a golf scholarship. Riding a hot putter on a day when he hit only seven greens, Tahy escaped with an even-par 71 to advance to the 36-hole sectional round on June 3. His goal is to be among the 156 who tee it up June 13-16 in the Open at Merion Golf Club in Philadelphia
"I hit the ball poorly," Tahy admitted. "My short game was really good."
This isn't the first time that Tahy raised some eyebrows with his brilliant play. Five years ago, when he was 13, he qualified for the Ohio Amateur and made the cut.
On Monday he needed only 24 putts to complete his round. "I wasn't even hitting it that close," he said. "I made a bunch of eight-footers for par." He hit it real close to the pin at least once. That was on the 501-yard par 5 seventh hole where from 225 yards out he deposited a 3-iron two feet from the cup and tapped in for an eagle.
He was 1 over after nine holes, but his father, Bill Tahy, who was carrying the bag, did not allow him to overreact. "My job was to keep him positive," the elder Tahy said.
Alec ran off five straight pars on the back nine. He birdied the par 5, 15th when a 25-foot downhill "lag putt" trickled into the cup. Then he finished with three more pars.
Three years ago he received a Scotty Cameron "009" putter for his birthday, and he has been putting with confidence ever since.
Tahy (pronounced TAY) played many sports as a youngster and was good enough to be a member of the Salvation Army traveling basketball team prior to attending high school, but he dropped them all. "I just stuck with golf," he said. "I felt like I had the best chance to be successful."
From the tee, the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder can carry the ball approximately 290 yards in the air.
Few golfers from this area, if any, have played at the University of Arkansas, but Fayetteville, Ark., will be Tahy's next stop. Passing up offers from Ohio State and Kent State, he committed to Arkansas last July.
The Arkansas coaches took an interest in Tahy after Ethan Tracy of Hilliard, a former Razorback golfer, suggested a couple of years ago that they check him out. He'll be rooming with James Leadbetter, son of the renowned golf instructor David Leadbetter.
Tahy plans to play in the Ohio Am qualifier May 29 at Miami Valley Golf Club and he will enter three or four junior events before beginning his college career.
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