Perseverance, patience and a whole lot of understanding.
That’s what everyone associated with the 102nd playing of the Pyramid Treating Ohio Open – players, officials, grounds crew, media and any spectators who braved Monday afternoon’s persistently impersistent weather — had to have during the elongated second wave of the opening round at Westfield Country Club.
It was that kind of day with five stoppages in play due to a temperature drop and aggravating rainstorms and lightning threats detected by Westfield Insurance’s weather apparatus. The foul stuff came and went starting around 1:15, shortly after the afternoon wave of tee times began.
From that point going forward it was rain gear on, rain gear off. Umbrellas up, umbrellas down. Windbreakers on, windbreakers off. It was ice tea in the morning and coffee in the afternoon.
A female visitor from just outside of Liverpool, England, summed it up.
“We have our weather,” she said. “But this beats us.”
The morning wave came off without a hitch and amateur Cade Breitenstine took advantage of the calm conditions to shoot an opening 6-under 64 on the South Course, good for a two-shot lead over 2017 winner and PGA Teaching & Coaching Professional at Chapel Hill Golf Course Chase Wilson (Newark), Brandywine Country Club PGA Assistant Golf Professional Michael Balcar (Toledo) and Nick Carlson, a teaching pro from Springfield.
Breitenstine, 22, has one more year of playing for Kent State thanks to a Covid year, but will begin work on a master’s degree in finance in the fall.
Five players, including Kent State assistant coach Ryan Yip and amateurs Jack Vojtko (Stow) and Ben Hogan (Wellington), came in at 3-under 67 and three others were at 2-under 68.
When play was stopped for the final time because of darkness at 9:04, 82 players still had to finish their opening rounds. Play was scheduled to resume at 7:30 on Tuesday with the second round set to start at 8 a.m., keeping fingers crossed.
A total of 21 players – 10 professionals and 11 amateurs — broke par-70 on both courses, with 14 of those rounds taking place 573-yard on the South Course.
Breitenstine, who missed the cut in this event last year, began his round under intermittent sunny and cloudy conditions. He opened with seven straight pars but got two 2-under with birdies on the 221-yard 17th — by holing out from a greenside bunker – and making a 3-foot putt after about a 340-yard drive on the 387-yard 18th.
“Those two birdies were really key because I was getting frustrated,” he said. “I thought I was playing much better than to be at even-par. So, those birdies gave me a boost.”
Breitenstine, from Green, was at 2-under when he stepped on the tee on the 526-yard sixth. A big drive in the middle of their fairway enabled him to reach the green’s back fringe in two and his 2-putted from 25 feet to start his birdie binge.
He made a 20-footer on the 215-yard seventh and needed just a 7-Iron to reach the 573-yard eighth in two and two-putted. He closed it out on the 447-yard ninth by making a 35-foot, right-to-left putt from below the hole.
“Those four birdies were obviously pivotal,” he said. “Was I glad I played in the morning? Very glad.”
Wilson, who won his title in 2017 when the tournament was held at Weymouth and Fox Meadow, had five birdies and one bogey in his round.
The old saying goes you can’t win a golf tournament during the first round but you can lose it. With 36 holes remaining – with fingers crossed – is off to a great start and is in line to become the second straight KSU golfer to win the Open. Sophomore Jordan Gilkison won the tournament last year with a score of 10-under 200 with a stunning 63 in the second round.
Breitenstine will play his second round on the links-style North Course on Tuesday. The key will be to survive the more wide-open – hence windier – North and its irritable fescue.
PHOTO GALLERY: 2023 Ohio Open Round 1 >
