Men’s Golf Heads to Tampa for 3rd Fall Event – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/12/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Oct. 12, 2001
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -Ohio State travels to Tampa, Fla., Oct. 15-16 to compete in the third fall tournament of the season against another high-caliber field.
The Buckeyes have put together back-to-back Top 5 finishes heading into the Gary Koch Invitational, hosted by the University of Florida.
Jim Brown, head coach of the Buckeyes, said his team caught a break with the invitation to Tampa.
“We are fortunate to get in this event,” Brown said. “This tournament replaces the Inverness (Toledo, Sept 17-18) event that was cancelled in mid-September. The field at the Gary Koch poses another challenge for our team. We are playing well and looking forward to another opportunity to get better.”
Ohio State was rated the No. 9 team nationally after its fifht-place finish at the Taylor Made Red River Classic event Oct. 8-9.
Two Buckeye individuals also were rated among the Top 50 golfers nationally after that event. Senior Doug Wade (Lima, Ohio/Lima Central Catholic), rated 12 nationally and junior Justin Collins (Ironton, Ohio/Ironton) is 26th.
Ohio State finished fifth at the Taylor Made Red River Classic. The Buckeyes shot a 2-under team score of 286 in the final round to finish 17-under (847), just three shots out of second place.
The University of Texas, host of the event, won by 10 strokes with a 30-under score of 834.
Four Buckeyes finished below par at the Dallas Athletic Club (par 72, 6,766 yards) course.
Leading the way for Ohio State were seniors Jason Oien (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville North) and Wade. Oien shot a final round 68 to complete the event tied for seventh at 7-under 209. Wade, after back-to-back rounds in the 60s, shot 1-over in the final round to finish tied for 10th with a 6-under 210. Collins shot a 3-under 213 for the event.
Jason Hartwick of Texas was the event medalist at 15-under (65-66-70=201).
Captains Selected
Following a team vote Oct. 11, Ryan Dennis, Jason Oien and Justin Collins were selected captains for the 2001-02 Buckeyes.
Lineup set for the Gary Koch Invitational
The five players traveling to Tampa for the Gary Koch Invitational will be Doug Wade, Ryan Dennis, Jason Oien, Justin Collins and Matt Boudreau (St. Ann, Ill./Bishop McNamara). Boudreau, an Ohio State freshman, has not competed for the Buckeyes in tournament play. He was a highly-decorated high school player and is expected to consistently push for a spot among the Top 5 early in his career.
Ohio State Welcomes NCAA Tournament for 10th Time at Scarlet Course
The 2002 NCAA Tournament will be played at The OSU Scarlet Course May 27-June 1, 2001 in Columbus, Ohio. It marks the 10th time the NCAA championship will be determined on Ohio State’s historic Scarlet Course and for the first time since 1995.
The Buckeyes missed qualifying for the 2001 NCAA Tournament by one stroke but expect to make a push in 2002 to play on their home course in NCAA Tournament play.
Brown has Veteran Squad Returning
Ohio State returns four student-athletes who played the majority of the 2000-01 schedule for Jim Brown, Buckeye head coach.
Brown, in his 29th season as the men’s golf coach at Ohio State, has led the Buckeyes to 22 NCAA Tournament appearances. His teams have won 16 Big Ten titles and has finished among the Top 2 in the Big Ten Conference 24 times.
Leading the Buckeyes this year are a trio of seniors. Jason Oien, Ryan Dennis and Doug Wade are the most experienced Buckeyes in 2001-02. Junior Justin Collins has played in all but one tournament for the Buckeyes. Sophomore Kevin Hall came out of a redshirt season last year to help the Buckeyes to a pair of tournament wins.
Newcomers could become a factor
Freshman newcomers Darren Lundgren (Baldwin, Mo.) and Matt Boudreau (St. Ann, Ill.) each are expected to push the veterans for a spot among the Top 5 as the season progresses.
Lundgren was an American Junior Golf Association All-American and played for the USA World Junior Golf Cup Team which defeated Canada at St. Andrew’s golf course in Scotland.
Boudreau was the Illinois Junior National Champion in 2000, the same year he led his high school team to the Illinois State championship.
Buckeyes Add Tournament to Schedule
Ohio State was scheduled to compete at the Inverness Invitational in Toledo, Ohio, Sept. 17-18 but did not participate following the terrorist attack Sept. 11.
The Buckeyes will participate in the Gary Koch Invitational in Tampa, Fla., Oct. 15-16 to take the place of the Inverness event on the 2001-02 Ohio State schedule.
The fall schedule will be completed at the Aztec Invitational in San Diego, Calif., Nov. 5-6.
The spring portion of the schedule begins Feb. 9-10 at the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.
Ohio State will play in six spring tournaments before the Big Ten Championship event, held May 3-5 in Iowa City, Iowa. The 2002 NCAA Central Regional Tournament will be played May 16-18 in Little Rock, Ark. Ohio State plays host to the 2002 Men’s Golf Championship May 27-June 1.
