Men’s Golf Wraps Up Fall Season – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/30/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Nov. 30, 2001
A Positive Outlook For Spring
While the fall season for the Ohio State men’s golf team has ended. The team has the spring portion of the season to look forward to. The Buckeyes finished fall play on a high note by claiming the Aztec Invitational title. Fall play ended with the Buckeyes posting a 47-11 overall record.
The Buckeyes are ranked No.10 overall in the most recent Golfweek/Sagarin Men’s Golf Poll.
“I think we played extremely well these past couple of months,” Jim Brown, Ohio State head coach, said. “I am really pleased to start off the season the way we did. The competitiveness of the team is key and what keeps the team going. We have an older more experienced team where four of our seniors are in the top seven. This team has the experience that is needed to go far. At San Diego, we played extremely well. I never had a team shoot under 20 in a tournament round. I am very proud of what the Buckeyes accomplished this fall.”
Coach Jim Brown is in his 29th season as the men’s golf head coach at Ohio State. He has led the Buckeyes to 27 NCAA tournament appearances and is winningest coach in OSU golf history.
2001 Final Fall Statistics Low Individuals Rds. Strokes/Avg. Finish Date Best Dates Justin Collins 12 845 (70.4) 68 (3) Last 11/5 T2 11/5-6 Doug Wade 12 855 (71.3) 64 11/5 T2 9/28-30 Jason Oien 12 867 (72.3) 68 (2) Last 11/5 T6 11/5-6 Ryan Dennis 9 867 (72.3) 69 10/9 T16 9/28-30 Kevin Hall 6 444 (74.0) 68 11/5 T40 11/5-6 Scott Anderson 3 224 (74.7) 75 (2) 10/9 69 10/8-9 Scott Miller 3 217 (72.3) 71 11/6 T36 11/5-6 Matt Boudreau 3 229 (76.3) 72 10/16 T62 10/15-16
Standout Performers
Justin Collins (Ironton, Ohio/Ironton) finished the fall play with a 70.4 scoring average, lowest on the team, after a 9-under 207 (tied for second overall) at the Aztec Invitational (11/5-6). He shot 11-under over the final two rounds at the Aztec to help Buckeyes claim the team title. Eight-of-12 rounds this season have been below par, including five in the 60s. Collins had three Top 10 finishes in the fall. He is currently rated No. 20 nationally in Golfweek/Sagarin individual rankings.
“Collins is playing fierce like when I recruited him,” Brown said. “I am really looking forward to see what he can do for the rest of the season.”
Doug Wade (Lima, Ohio/Lima Central Catholic) completed fall play with the second-lowest scoring average on the team (71.3) after 4-under par effort (212) at the Aztec Invitational (11/5-6). He fired the lowest second round score (64) of the Aztec Invitational and of his career. Golfweek rates him 48th in the country. Wade finished the Ping/Golfweek Preview (Sept. 28-30) with back-to-back sub-par rounds to on his way to a score of 211 for the 54-hole event. He finished tied for second after a 4-under 67 in the final round.
Coach Brown on Doug Wade: “He has been a surprise player. Doug always comes up with pleasant surprises like when he broke the course record (64) in San Diego.”
Jason Oien (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville North) finished No. 3 on the team with a 72.3 scoring average in the fall. He shot 7-under (209) to finish tied for sixth in helping the Buckeyes to the Aztec Invitational title (11/5-6). Oien finished the fall with a pair of Top 10 finishes.
“Jason has been more consistent this year. As a co-captain he is one of our leaders and is avseasoned performer,” Brown said.
In tournament play this fall the Buckeyes averaged 287.4 with a total of 3,423 strokes in four tournaments. The Buckeyes finished in the top five in all four fall events.
Buckeyes Claim Aztec Invitational Title
The No.10 Ohio State men’s golf team finished the fall portions of their schedule with a tournament win at Aztec Invitational in San Diego. The Aztec Invitational title was a extremely big win for the Buckeyes after coming back from four shots in the final round to beat the Aztecs of San Diego State by one stroke. The victory was made possible by the Buckeyes shooting (287-268-281=836) to win the title over SDSU (278-273-286=837).
Winning the title at SDSU was an overall team effort. Buckeye standouts included Justin Collins (74-68-65=207), Jason Oien (71-68-70=209) and Doug Wade (73-64-75=212). Wade broke the Barona Creek Golf Club course and his own personal best with a 64 in round two. Individually, Justin Collins tied for second and Jason Oien was sixth at the Aztec Invitational.
Aztec Invitational (Nov. 5-6, 2001) Justin Collins 74-68-65=207 T2 Jason Oien 71-68-70=209 T6 Doug Wade 73-64-75=212 T17 Scott Miller 72-74-71=217 T36 Kevin Hall 71-68-79=218 T40
Last Chance for Seniors
Doug Wade has high expectations for the Buckeyes this year. As a senior, this is the last chance for him to be on a championship Buckeye team.
“I want to win the Big Ten. If we can just get through regionals and make it to nationals on our home course I know we can win. We just need to advance to nationals so we can really make some noise and win at home. It would be even sweeter to win a championship on our home turf. We just need to go out there and play hard to win it all,” Wade said.
Ohio State will host the 2002 NCAA Tournament May 27-June 1 on The OSU Scarlet Course. It marks the 10th time the national championship will be decided at Ohio State.
Wade said he feels comfortable with the way he has played to date. He is on the way to making it a memorable senior year.
“It has been a rewarding season for me so far,” Wade said. “At the Ping/Golfweek Preview I really felt by finishing runner-up I was able to solidify my spot on the team. Another highlight moment for me this season was winning the Aztec Invitational as a team. I felt I made a difference by scoring a 64 in the second round to gain momentum for the team as well as for myself. This has been a season to remember.”
What’s next for the Buckeyes?
The Buckeyes return to action for the spring portion of the schedule 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.
The NCAA Tournament is right around the corner
The Buckeyes are constantly trying to improve their game.
“During our off time we are still conditioning by running and hitting balls,” Wade said. “Another form of training is having us (the team) watch our golf swing on video to perfect it.”
Brown thinks the Buckeyes must take it event by event.
“The first step we need to take is to focus on regionals.,” Brown said. “The key is to keep maintaining our playing style and to keep improving. I believe we can be very competitive this spring and go along way. We can’t fear anyone and we’ve proved that throughout the fall.”
