Men’s Golf Opens Fall Season in Preview – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/24/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Sept. 24, 2001
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%^$COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 2001 Ping/Golfweek Preview features 15 of the nation’s best NCAA Division I men’s golf programs in competition at one of the best collegiate golf courses — The Ohio State University Scarlet Course.%^$
%^$Twelve of the 15 teams participating in the 2001 Ping/Golfweek Preview finished among the Top 15 teams in the country last year at the NCAA Championships, hosted by Duke University.%^$
%^$Included among the 2001 Preview field are: Florida, 2001 NCAA Champions, and Top 10 finishers: Clemson (2), Arizona (3), Georgia Tech (4), Georgia (5), Arizona State (6), Augusta State (7), Virginia Tech (8), East Tennessee State (9) and Wake Forest (10). Pacific (11) and Oklahoma (12T) also made the cut to finish among the Top 15 teams nationally in 2001.%^$
%^$Pacific (22T) and Oklahoma State (24) also qualified for the first two rounds of the 2001 NCAA Tournament, held at the Duke University Golf Course from May 30-June 2 in Durham, N.C.%^$
%^$Practice rounds begin Thursday at 9 a.m. Tee times begin Friday and Saturday at 9 a.m. with the final round beginning Sunday at 7:30 a.m.%^$
%^$Ohio State Welcomes NCAA Tournament for 10th Time at Scarlet Course
%^$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 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.%^$
%^$Brown, in his 29th season as the men’s golf coach at Ohio State, has led the Buckeyes to 22 NCAA Tournament appearances. His teams have won 16 Big Ten titles and has finished among the Top 2 in the Big Ten Conference 24 times.%^$
%^$Leading the Buckeyes this year are a trio of seniors. Jason Oien (Westerville, Ohio), Ryan Dennis (Stow, Ohio) and Doug Wade (Lima, Ohio) are the most experienced Buckeyes in 2001-02. Junior Justin Collins (Ironton, Ohio) has played in all but one tournament in each of the last two years. Sophomore Kevin Hall (Cincinnati, Ohio) came out of a redshirt season last year to help the Buckeyes to a pair of tournament wins. These five players make up the top five for the Buckeyes this weekend.%^$
%^$Brown expects experience to be a factor when the Buckeyes tee off in the Preview.%^$
%^$”We played seven rounds of qualifying golf to determine our starting five,” Brown said. “They all had consistent scores to earn the right to play.”%^$
%^$Brown knows his team will need to be sharp from the beginning.%^$
%^$”We have not played competitively yet and we are starting against the best in the country,” Brown said. “We are excited about the number of quality teams coming to our course.”%^$
%^$”We are really looking forward to hosting this event and hopefully being a factor,” Brown said. “We respect everyone who is playing but we don’t fear anyone.”%^$
%^$Newcomers Could Become a Factor
%^$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.%^$
%^$Lundgren was an American Junior Golf Association All-American and played for the USA World Junior Golf Cup Team which defeated Canada at St. Andrew’s golf course in Scotland.%^$
%^$Boudreau was the Illinois Junior National Champion in 2000, the same year he led his high school team to the Illinois State championship.%^$
%^$Top Individuals Highlight Preview Field
%^$The 2001 Ping/Golfweek Preview will feature several of the nation’s best talent, including six of the Top 10 individual finishers from the 2001 NCAA Tournament.%^$
%^$Camilo Benedetti, a senior from Florida, tied for second in the 2001 NCAA Tournament. He will battle Chez Reavie, a sophomore from Arizona State, and Kris Mikkelson, a senior from Georgia Tech, who each tied for fourth. D.J. Trahan, a junior from Clemson, finished seventh ahead of Troy McKinley, a junior from Pacific, and Ricky Barnes, a junior from Arizona, who each tied for eighth at the 2001 NCAA Tournament.%^$
%^$Buckeyes Add Tournament to Schedule
%^$Ohio State was scheduled to compete at the Inverness Invitational in Toledo, Ohio, Sept. 17-18 but did not participate following the terrorist attack on the United States Sept. 11.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes will participate in the Gary Koch Invitational in Tampa, Fla., Oct. 15-16 to take the place of the Inverness event on the 2001-02 Ohio State schedule.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes head to Dallas, Texas for the Red River Classic, Oct. 8-9. The fall schedule will be completed at the Aztec Invitational in San Diego, Calif., Nov. 5-6.%^$
%^$The spring portion of the schedule begins Feb. 9-10 at the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.%^$
%^$Ohio State will play in six spring tournaments before the Big Ten Championship event, held May 3-5 in Iowa City, Iowa. The 2002 NCAA Central Regional Tournament will be played May 16-18 in Little Rock, Ark. Ohio State plays host to the 2002 Men’s Golf Championship May 27-June 1.%^$
