“We just didn’t have it,” third-year coach Conner Lash said. “We’ve got four guys new to a regional (out of five starters). It’s a tough course. It’s tough pins. It’s windy. You’ve got to hit the shots and we haven’t.
“We want to go out tomorrow and maybe put a good score together and leave on a high note.”
The Raiders held on to the 12th spot out of 14 teams but shot a 26-over-par 306 — eight strokes worse than their opening round.
They had as many double-bogeys as birdies (five of each) and also had a quadruple-bogey on the par-70 Farms Golf Club.
No. 1 player Mikkel Mathiesen, who opened with an even-par 70, skied to a 78.
Shane Ochs shot 75, Andrew Flynn 76, Adam Horn 77 and Timmy Hollenbeck 79. The top four scores count.
Hollenbeck, the Horizon League freshman of the year, had the only nine-hole score in the red, posting a one-under 34 on the front side (the team started on the back) after turning in 45.
The Raiders didn’t have trouble with course management while winning three tournaments this season, including the league title in runaway fashion, but they also had eight doubles in the first round.
“They’re so used to going out there — especially at the college level — and making pars and birdies. But sometimes, you get in these regionals, and you can make four, five or six bogeys, and if you eliminate the doubles and make some birdies, you have a decent score,” Lash said.
“It’s hard sometimes to set your ego and pride aside and hit it to 40 feet and try to make a good par. You want them to feel (the adrenaline), but you also want them to pull back a little bit and say, ‘If I make par here, I’m going to pick up strokes on the field.’”
Mathiesen dropped from a tie for 10th to a tie for 41st.
“He’s a little under the weather. He doesn’t feel very good — sore throat, headache, probably didn’t sleep very well. He’d never tell you that because he wouldn’t want that to be an excuse. But he struggled today,” Lash said.
Wright State is one stroke ahead of Seton Hall and nine in front of Winthrop.
North Florida leads at 3-over, followed by Cal (4-over), West Virginia (5-over), Oklahoma State (6-over) and Oklahoma (8-over).
The top five teams advance to the nationals.
“You can’t play good all the time,” Lash said. “We didn’t have our best stuff. But, hopefully, we can put a good round together tomorrow and catch a couple more teams.”
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