Men’s Golf Travels To East Lansing – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
April 23, 2003
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Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s golf team will return to action April 26-27 to compete in the 2003 Fossum Invitational. Michigan State will play host to the two-day event at the par 72, 7,013-yard Forest Akers West Course.
Teams competing in the tournament along with Ohio State will be Eastern Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kent State, Michigan State, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Toledo, Xavier and Wisconsin.
Toledo, won the tournament in 2002 with a three-round total of 876. David Jones of Toledo won the individual tournament with a score of 216.
The tournament will begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday with teams playing 36 holes. The tournament will conclude Sunday following 18 holes of play with competition beginning at 9 a.m.
Last Time Out
The Ohio State men’s golf team captured its 23rd Kepler Intercollegiate title after firing a third round score of 302 to finish the tournament with a three-round score of 897. The 34th annual Kepler Intercollegiate was held at the par-72, 7,258-yard Ohio State University Scarlet Course.
Junior Zach Doran, (Dublin, Ohio/Columbus Academy) paced the Buckeyes throughout the tournament and finished with a three-round total of 220, tying him for second. Junior Kevin Hall (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Rita School For The Deaf) posted a solid third round score of even par to help the Buckeyes ward off Illinois. Hall finished the tournament tied for 13th with a score of 224. Brad Heaven of Toledo won the tournament with a three-round score of 219.
About Ohio State
Ohio State improved to 77-68-2 with their first place finish at the Kepler Intercollegiate April 3-4 at the Ohio State University Scarlet Course. Their first-place finish at the Kepler marked the 23rd time in Ohio State men’s golf history the Buckeyes have won the tournament.
Throughout the season the Buckeyes have relied on the solid play of junior Zach Doran. During the 2002-03 season Doran has posted four Top 5 finishes and has led the team individually seven times.
The Buckeyes have also received strong performances from Scott Anderson and Kevin Hall. Anderson displayed his best round of the season at the Matlock classic where he fired day one rounds of 71 and 69 finishing the tournament 4-under-par with a three-round score of 214.
Along with Anderson, junior Kevin Hall has also put together another solid season for the Buckeyes posting a personal best in rounds played with 26. Hall’s best tournament of the season came at the Kepler Intercollegiate where he tied for 13th with a three-round total of 224
Doran Earns Athlete of the Week
Following Ohio State’s 23rd first place finish at the Kepler Intercollegiate, Zach Doran earned Co-Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors.
During the tournament, Doran fired a three-round total of 220, tying him for second place with Patrick Nagle of Illinois. Doran’s low round of the tournament came during the first round where he shot 69 to post his 13th round under par this season.
Recapping Last Year’s Tournament
The Ohio State men’s golf team finished the 2002 Fossum Invitational tied for 12th place (316+307+298=921).
Buckeye senior Doug Wade led the way for Ohio State firing a final round 69 (-3) to finish the tournament in a six way tie for 23rd place.
Toledo (+12, 876) won the tournament by nine strokes in front of second place Illinois (+21, 885). The Rockets’ David Jones fired a final round 69 (-3) to earn tournament medalist honors finishing a stroke ahead of second place Garrett Chaussard of Illinois.
The Fossum Goes Live
The 2003 Bruce Fossum Invitational will have live tournament scoring at www.msuspartans.com.
Noting the Buckeyes …
Scott Anderson … placed 10th at the Kepler Intercollegiate to help the Buckeyes to their 23rd Kepler title … 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 … a 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 … earned Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors following his performance at the Kepler Intercollegiate … tied for second at the Kepler Intercollegiate with a three-round total of 220 … 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.
Kevin Hall … posted his best finish during his collegiate career at the Kepler Intercollegiate 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 Kepler Intercollegiate with a 76 to help the Buckeyes to the 2003 Kepler title … 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 … posted a opening round of 75 at the Kepler Intercollegiate to help the Buckeyes to their 23rd Kepler title … 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 May 2-4 at the Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, Ind.
