KETTERING — Lucas Murray shot a 4-under-par 68 in the first round at the Ohio Amateur Championship, but he had much lower aspirations for his second trek around Moraine Country Club.

“My goal was a 73 or 74 because if you put yourself at 2- or 3-under, you’re in really good shape for the last two rounds,” he said. “I still think even par or 1-under will win.”

The unheralded Murray — who is transferring to Akron University this fall after playing his first two years at Division III Mount Union — reached his objective with a 73, giving himself a two-shot cushion at the halfway point Wednesday, July 15.

“I was nervous the first couple holes, but that’s the way it’s supposed to be,” he said. “If you’re not nervous, you shouldn’t be out here.”

Scohy rallies

Three-putting can often leave golfers seething, but Bellbrook resident Jeff Scohy was happy to get off the green at No. 15 with three waves of the flat stick.

Starting on the back nine, he was 1-over going into the 158-yard par-3 and landed 30 feet below the hole. His first putt sailed six feet by, and his next ended up 10 feet back down the slope.

The 2004 Ohio Am runner-up was able to knock that one in, though, and carded a 1-under 71 and is at even par for the tourney.

“The wheels could have fallen off there, so that was kind of a big salvage. ... Once you get derailed, you just never know what can happen,” said Scohy, 31.

Bernard even par

Michael Bernard, a 15-year-old Wayne High School sophomore, butchered No. 17 in his opening round — taking a double-bogey on the relatively easy 458-yard par-5 — but he didn’t let that fester.

He birdied his first hole in the second round on his way to a 2-under 70, tying for low round of the day and putting him three shots out of the lead.

“I was pretty mad after that, but I tried to not let it bother me,” he said. “I was playing good and knew I could shoot a good round.”

Though he’s the second-youngest player in the field, Bernard is shooting for the title. “That’s definitely my goal,” he said, “but I’d have to play extremely well to win.”

Ex-Flyer struggles

Former University of Dayton golfer Rob Chappell of Cincinnati had a 1-under 71 in the first round and opened with a 35 on his first nine Wednesday. But he limped in with a 40 because of frequent tree trouble on his last nine.

“It’s not what I was hoping for,” he said.

Chappell won the 2008 Atlantic 10 championship as a junior. He plans to turn pro next week and play on the mini-tours in Florida.

“I’m working right now on finding anybody who will back me — people who will invest in my career — and structuring how it will all work,” he said.

“I can’t do it without the money. It takes a lot of money.”

Tourney notes

• Moraine has hosted the Ohio Am every 10 years since 1979, and the Ohio Golf Association would like to come back in 2019 if the club offers its course again.

“There’s nothing as far as a formal decision for ’19, but we wouldn’t ever turn down an invitation from them,” said Jim Popa, executive director of the OGA. “It’s one of our favorite places.”

• Former Cincinnati Reds standout Chris Sabo found Moraine tougher than an Orel Hershiser curveball. After a respectable 74, Sabo skied to an 85 and missed the cut.

• The cut was 9-over 153, and Centerville’s Chris Woeste (72-75), Springfield’s Joe McGeean (71-77), Miamisburg’s Aaron Crist (74-75), Dayton’s Robert Jones (77-76) and New Carlisle’s Matt Ehlinger (76-77) all lived to play another day. Five of the seven past champions made the cut.