Men’s Golf Gears Up For The Chris Schenkel Invite – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
March 18, 2003
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s golf team will returns to action March 22-23 to compete in the Chris Schenkel Invitational in Statesboro, Ga. Georgia Southern will play host to the two-day event at the par-72, 6,945-yard Forest Heights Country Club.
Teams competing in this year’s tournament along with Ohio State will be Auburn, Augusta State, Clemson, Duke, East Tennessee State, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Louisiana State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wake Forest.
Augusta State, won the tournament in 2002 with a three-round total of 865, while Justin Walters of North Carolina State won the tournament with a score of 9-under-par.
The Buckeyes begin the tournament by playing 36 holes on Saturday following with 18 holes on Sunday.
LAST TIME OUT
The Ohio State men’s golf team (53-46-2) turned in a tremendous final round of 4-under-par Tuesday as they tied for 11th place. The Buckeyes shot a three-round total of 20-over-par, 872. The 26th annual Cleveland Golf Classic hosted by USC was held at the par-71, 6,815-yard North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif.
The Buckeyes tied for the second lowest team round of the day of 4-under-par to move from 16th to 11th place during the final round.
Kevin Hall (Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Rita For The Deaf) led all Buckeyes with a final tournament score of even par. In addition to his 3-under-par score of 68, Hall also posted a hole-in-one on the par-3 204-yard 13th hole to highlight the day’s action. Zach Doran (Jr., Dublin, Ohio/Columbus Academy) and Scott Anderson (So, Great Falls, Mont./Great Falls) also turned in strong performances for Ohio State tying for 35th. Anderson also posted a final round score of 1-under-par to give him his third round under par this season.
Steve Conway of UCLA won the individual title with a three-round total of 6-under-par, 207. UCLA also won the team title with a score of 7-under-par, 845.
LEADING THE BUCKEYES
Competing for the Ohio State at the Southwestern Invitational will be Scott Anderson, Zach Doran, Kevin Hall, Darren Lundgren and David Vallina.
HALL PACES BUCKEYES
Last week at the Southwestern Invitational junior Kevin Hall posted his best tournament of the year with a three-round total of 213.
During the tournament, Hall notched his third round under par with a score of 68. Hall also paced the Buckeyes at the tournament where he finished 13th.
Hall capped the tournament by firing a hole-in-one on the par-3, 204-yard 13th hole at the North Ranch Country Club.
BUCKEYES REBOUND
After struggling through the first two rounds at the Southwestern Invitational the Buckeyes rebounded to post their lowest final round of the season with a score of 280.
SCOUTING THE SCHENKEL
The field for the 2003 Chris Schenkel Invitational should prove to be the toughest test for the Buckeyes this season, as they will face eight teams who qualified for the 2002 NCAA championships.
Clemson and Augusta State appear to be the teams to beat. Currently both teams are ranked in the Top 5 in the Golfdigest.com the Golfweek.com poll.
Both teams also feature some of college golf’s top performers in Clemson’s DJ Trahan and Augusta State’s Oliver Wilson. Trahan enters the tournament ranked as the No. 2 golfer in the country, while Wilson is ranked No. 3.
This will mark the second time this season Ohio State will face Wilson and Augusta State. The first time came at the Gator Invitational where Wilson and Augusta State took first.
Among the participating teams in this year’s tournament nine of them were ranked in the Precept Preseason Coaches Poll Top 25.
Noting the Buckeyes …
Scott Anderson … posted his career-best finish at the Matlock Classic where he finished tied for seventh … fired a career low at the Matlock Classic of two-under-par, 214 … qualified for the Sooner Invitational and shot an opening round of 72, which was three strokes shy of his lowest score from last year … in 2001-02, Anderson competed in three rounds, compiling an average score of 74.7 per round.
Dave Bieterman … competed in his first tournament (the Northern Invite) since the spring of 2001 … Bieterman decided to redshirt his sophomore year at OSU to give himself an extra year of eligibility with the Buckeyes … while at the Northern Intercollegiate, Bieterman shot a three-round total of 4-over par … his career totals include 15 rounds of total play for an average of 76.1 strokes per round and low round of 70 as a freshman at Wright State in 2000-01 … his best finish came at the Drury Intercollegiate (9/11-12/00) where he was fifth.
Justin Collins … by far the most experienced golfer on the team … plans to redshirt this season …through 36 rounds of play last season, Collins averaged 73.6 strokes per round … his best finish came at the Aztec Invitational where he tied for second, leading the Buckeyes to a first-place finish.
Zach Doran … took co-championship honors at the Koch Invitational where he tied for first place … shot career low round of 64 during the first round of the Koch Invitational … opened the 2002-03 season with a 10-under 206 and a tie for second overall at the Sooner Invitational (9/16-17) … he tied a course record with a 65 in the final round Sept. 17 … that effort was a career-low at Ohio State … he has shot under par in four of six rounds this fall … has qualified for the last six tournaments, including the final three of 2002 … started his career at Florida Southern before transferring to Ohio State for the 2001-02 season.
Kevin Hall … posted his best finish during his collegiate career where he finished tied for 13th … commenced the day with a hole-in-one at the par-3 13th hole at the Southwestern Invitational … continued his solid play at the Koch Invitational where placed tied for 28th … Hall began the 2002-03 season at the Northern Intercollegiate firing a three round score of 1-over par 214 … played in 15 rounds as a sophomore and hopes to have a break-out season for the Buckeyes … during his 15 rounds of play last year, Hall averaged 75.7 strokes per round … his low round came at the Aztec Invitational where fired a 68 during the second round of play.
Darren Lundgren … qualified for his third consecutive tournament during the fall season at the Koch Invitational where he tied for 42nd … qualified for the Sooner Invitational and placed 16th, shooting a three-round total of 3-under par … his low round of the tournament came during the second round where he shot a career low of 68 … his round of 68 is a 12-stroke improvement from his low round from last season.
Zack Randol … competed in his second tournament of the year at the Northern Intercollegiate … Randol finished with a three round score of 1-under par 216 … his low round came during the final round of competition where he shot a 1 under par score of 70.
Peter Riddell … opened the 2002-03 season at the Sooner Invitational … was as the only OSU freshman to qualify for the Sooner Invitational … his low rounds at the tournament were a pair of 77’s … played as an individual at the Northern Invitational.
David Vallina … qualified for his tournament of the season at the Koch Invitational … placed tied for 51st … Vallina was the only freshman to qualify for the Koch Invitational and just the second freshman to qualify during the fall season.
THE FALL SEASON
The Ohio State men’s golf team competed in four tournaments throughout the fall season and posted two Top 5 finishes at the Northern Invitational and the Gary Koch Invitational.
Top individuals for the Buckeyes were juniors Zach Doran and Kevin Hall. Doran and Hall finished the fall season by shooting a combined total of 11 rounds under par.
Heading into the spring season, men’s head golf coach Jim Brown is pleased with the strides his young team has made during the break and hopes for a successful spring season.
“I think the team got a lot of good experience in the fall,” Brown said. “I think we worked hard over the break, we hit a lot of balls and we look forward to getting some grass underneath the ball.”
MEET COACH BROWN
Now in his 30th year as the Buckeyes’ head coach, Jim Brown has built Ohio State golf into one of the finest and most respected collegiate programs in the nation.
When the Buckeyes won the national title in 1979, it marked the first time in nearly two decades a northern school claimed the championship. Brown proved the 1979 season was no fluke as the program finished fourth in the NCAA’s in 1980, 1983, 1987 and again in 1997.
Brown earned National Coach-of-the-Year honors in both 1979 and 1986, and was named District IV Coach of the Year in consecutive seasons from 1977 through 1980 and again from 1982 through 1987. He also coached the NCAA All-Star Team that competed in Japan in 1979 and the 1999 Palmer Cup team that defeated a team of top collegiate players from Great Britain and Ireland.
His greatest personal achievement, however, came in 1989, when he was elected to the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame. Two years later, he was inducted into The Ohio State University Athletic Hall of Fame. Brown also was inducted into the Martins Ferry High School Hall of Fame in 1972 and the Ohio High School Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1994.
The winningest coach in OSU golf history, Brown has tutored one NCAA individual champ (Clark Burroughs – 1985), 11 Big Ten medalists, 86 All-Big Ten selections, 11 first team All-Americans and 39 other All-America honorees during his stay on the Columbus campus.
A native of Martins Ferry, Ohio, Brown is a 1966 Ohio State graduate. He played both basketball and golf for the Buckeyes, earning three letters in each sport.
Introducing Josh Hellmann
Josh Hellmann will begin his first season with the Ohio State men’s golf team as an assistant coach. His resume includes three years of collegiate golf at the University of Minnesota and at the University of Louisville. Hellmann is best known for his work with the American Junior Golf Association where he has worked since 1999. In 2000 he was named tournament director and has been responsible for conducting six tournaments annually for the American Junior Golf Association.
UP NEXT
The Buckeyes will return to action April 4-5, in Huntington, W. Va. to compete in the Marshall Invitational.
