GREENSBORO, NC — Through the first 18 holes of the 2011 NCAA Division III Tournament, the Wittenberg Tigers were down but certainly not out after posting a first-round score of 310 to stand 29th in the 40-team field.
The score actually matched Wittenberg's opening-day 310 carded a year ago on Day 1 in Hershey, Pa. The difference is that the score in 2010 was good for 11th place after a day of rain and cold temperatures, while the score in 2011 puts the Tigers in danger of missing the cut after sunshine and warm temperatures created good scoring conditions.
Oglethorpe and St. John's both fired a first round 286 to take the early lead. Both played the par-72, 6,800-yard West Course at the Grandover Resort, while the Tigers were among the teams forced to wrestle with the tougher par-72, 7,045-yard East Course. On Day 2, the teams will switch courses, with only the top 15 teams advancing to the final two rounds on Thursday and Friday. Wittenberg stands 11 strokes off the cut line heading into the second round.
Individually, the Tigers were paced by juniors Ricky Boerner (Hilliard, Ohio/Watterson) and Jordan Millice (Cable, Ohio/Triad), who shot matching 74s to finish tied for 43rd. Unfortunately, sophomore Craig Osterbrock (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) had a difficult back nine, including three holes of double bogey or worse, to spoil a promising round and finish with a nine-over-par 81. Osterbrock finished 17th to earn third-team All-America honors a year ago.
Osterbrock's round differed greatly from freshman Ben Hogenkamp (Minster, Ohio/Minster), who struggled from the outset to also finish with an 81 after winning two of his last three tournaments. Both players stand tied for 156th in the 205-player field. Freshman David Wetterich (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) rounded out the Tigers in the field, carding an 82 on Day 1 to stand 171st.