East Michigan News

Eastern Michigan University's men's golf team is on the verge of winning its fourth conference title at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships. The team holds a three-stroke lead after the second round of the event, taking place at Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City, Ohio.

EMU's strong performance in this round was led by Rory McDonald-O'Brien, who ascended to lead the race for individual honors. He shot a remarkable 7-under 65, pushing his overall score to 10-under 134. "McDonald-O'Brien, who aced the par-3, 214-yard 14th hole, was 6-under on the back nine to build his lead and post a round of 65, the lowest ever recorded by an EMU player at the MAC Championships," the report stated.

The team's cumulative score after two rounds stands at 15-under 561. This score gives them a three-stroke advantage over Kent State University, ranked 78th, which is at 12-under 564. Other top competitors include Northern Illinois University at 4-under 572 and Ball State University at 1-over 577. Miami University ranks fifth at 3-over 579.

Tim Chan from EMU also made notable progress, climbing from a tie for 25th place to sixth place by shooting 67 on the day. James Baxter and Daniel Robles Delval currently share the 13th place, both sitting at even-par. Bavake Sihota follows in the 34th position at 7-over.

The final round of the championships is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, April 29, starting at 9 a.m. Should EMU maintain its lead, they will secure their first championship win since 2019 and potentially claim individual medalist honors, which would be the first since 2007.

"Up Next: The third and final round of play at the 2025 MAC Championships is slated to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 29," as stated in the press materials. If the standings remain unchanged, EMU could achieve a notable victory.