Medina County golfers can't keep pace on second day of Ohio Open

Firestone Country Club was not nearly as welcoming to Medina County residents on the second day of the 104th Ohio Open as it was on the first. Medina resident Ray Dress, Westfield Center resident Ben Smith and Wadsworth graduate Brian Myers all entered the second round under par Tuesday, including Dress being tied for third and Smith tied for fifth. All three slid down the leaderboard on moving day. Despite the struggles, Smith and Dress qualified for the final round today on the famed South Course. The top 60 golfers, plus ties, made the cut from the original field of 288. First-day leader Nolan Haynes of Barberton enters the final round in a four-way tie for first with Akron's Kyle Smith, Youngstown's Ken Keller and Clarksville's Garrett Wood. This is the first Ohio Open to be held outside of Medina County since it was held at Quail Hollow Country Club in 2010. Westfield Country Club, the tournament's previous home, is undergoing renovations. Ben Smith fired a second consecutive round under when he shot a 1-under-par 69 on the Fazio Course, leaving him at 6-under 136 entering the final round. Smith tallied three birdies and three bogeys on the front nine to finish that side even. After a bogey on the par-3 No. 12 left him 1 over for the day, Smith came back with birdies on the par-5 No. 13 and par-4 No. 15. He enters today in a five-way tie for 16th place. "The goal going into the week was to make the cut," Smith said. "I didn't really have any expectations, but I wanted to play the South Course under tournament conditions. I think back to watching the Bridgestone when I was a kid, watching Tiger (Woods) and all the pros play it and wishing some day I could play that course in a tournament." Dress was 4 over after three holes Tuesday before settling in on the North Course. The 2025 Hoban graduate finished with a 2-over 74 and is at 4-under 138 going into today. Dress birdied the par-4 No. 15 and par-3 No. 17 before sinking an eagle on his final hole, but also had a bogey on No. 14 and a double on No. 16. After finishing Monday tied for third with a 6-under 64 on the Fazio Course, Dress slipped to an eight-way tie for 27th headed into the final round. The only other countian to enter the day under par was Myers. He fell to 6-over 148 after shooting a 7-over 79 on the North Course on Tuesday. Highland's Zach Butcher went 4-over 76 on the North Course to finish 9 over. Wadsworth's Daniel Terry carded a 76 to close 11 over. Brunswick graduate David Reiter Jr. shot an 83 to finish 23 over. On the Fazio Course, Chippewa Lake's Jared Toom shot a 1-under 69 to finish at even-par 142, missing the cut by one stroke. Brunswick graduate and Medina resident Joe Puch shot a 70 to finish 2 over. Cloverleaf graduate Luke Schreck also was even on the day, finishing 3 over for the tournament. Medina graduate Kyle Salamon shot a 71 to close at 5 over, Cloverleaf graduate Garrison Flora carded a 72 to go 14 over, Medina's Bob Koch turned in a 73 to close at 10 over, Medina graduate Eli Zimmerman shot 7-over 77 for 12 over and Brunswick grad Evan Gray went 10-over 80 to finish 11 over. Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com.