Ohio State Men’s Golf To Tee It Up At Marshall Invitational – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/7/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
April 7, 2004
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s golf team returns to action Friday in Huntington, W. Va. to compete in the 2004 Marshall Invitational. Marshall University will play host to the 54-hole event at the par 71, 6,446-yard Guyan Golf and Country Club.
The 54-hole tournament begins with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Friday and concludes Saturday with teeing off at 8 a.m.
Competing along with the Buckeyes will be Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, UNC-Charlotte, Eastern Kentucky, Marshall, Marquette, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Penn State, Charleston, Wright State and Xavier.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes boast an overall record of 69-43-1 and will look to rebound from their 10th place finish at the 2004 Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational. The Buckeyes 10th place finish was the first time in three tournament that they did not finish in the Top 5.
LAST TIME OUT
The Ohio State men’s golf team finished fourth at the 2004 Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational. The event was being held at the par 72, 6,962-yard Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro, Ga.
Colin Biles posted a strong final round as he fired a final score of 73 to finish the event tied for fifth with a three-round total of 214 to pace the Buckeyes. Also turning in a strong performance was Kevin Hall as he finished the event tied for 17th with a three-round total of 218.
Matt Every of Florida captured medallist honors with a three-round total of 207. Florida also captured the team title with a total of 859.
RECAPPING THE 2003 MARSHALL INVITATIONAL
The Ohio State men’s golf team endured rough weather during the final round of play last year at the Marshall Invitational to finish the tournament ninth with a three-round score of 885.
Junior Zach Doran led all Ohio State individuals finishing the tournament tied for 15th with a three-round score of 219. Ohio State also received strong performances from Scott Anderson and Kevin Hall both of whom turned in final rounds of 74 to hold off tenth place Akron.
Illinois won the tournament of 16 with a three-round score of 851. Kentucky freshman Matt Kohn won a one-hole playoff against Indiana sophomore Jeff Overton to take medallist honors.
FRESHMAN Colin Biles CONTINUES TO POST STRONG ROOKIE SEASON
Traditionally providing one of the toughest tournament fields in the country, the 2004 Schenkel Invitational did not phase Buckeye freshman Colin Biles as he posted a season-best fifth-place finish.
Biles’ fifth-place finish in the event does not come as a surprise. Over the last three tournaments, Biles has fired scores of 218, 216 and 228, while finishing tied for 20th, tied for 11th and tied for 36 respectively.
SHOOTING FOR CONSISTENCY
During the 2002-03 season the Ohio State men’s golf team was a model of consistency by finishing in the Top 5 six times. The 2003-04 season has followed a similar path as the Buckeyes have finished in the Top 5 four times this season.
FIRING IN THE RED
Last season the Ohio State men’s golf team shot under par 29 times last season. This season, however, the Buckeyes are well ahead last year’s pace as they have shot under par 25 times so far this season.
BUCKEYES BEGIN SPRING SEASON WITH BACK-TO-BACK BIG TEN HONORS
The Buckeyes’ strong start to the spring portion of the 2003-04 season has been fueled by impressive outings by Ohio State seniors Zach Doran and Kevin Hall.
Doran opened the season with a strong showing at the 2004 SunTrust Gator Invitational where he tied for 15th, while firing a three-round total of 217, to capture the first Big Ten Golfer of the Week honor in 2004.
In the Buckeyes’ second tournament of the spring season, Hall paced the Buckeyes to a third-place finish among a field of 15 collegiate squads and tied for seventh. The Cincinnati native posted his lowest finish of the season with a three-round total of 215 to earn the second Big Ten Golfer of the Week honor in 2004.
BUCKEYES ADD TWO TO 2004-05 SQUAD
Jim Brown, Ohio State men’s golf head coach, announced the addition of two student-athletes who have signed NCAA National Letters of Intent for the 2004-05 season. Kevin Grabeman of Springboro, Ohio, and Michael Haverfield of Louisville, Ky., comprise the class that will enroll at Ohio State at the beginning of the 2004 fall season.
Grabeman will enter the 2004 season after an impressive 2003 campaign that saw him post first-place finishes at the Kiawah Island Championship and the Optimist District Qualifier. Grabeman also posted a strong performance at the 2003 Harbor Town Championships, where he finished fourth and at the 2003 Kroger Championships, where he finished 15th. At Springboro High School, Grabeman earned all-state, all-area and team MVP honors during his senior year.
In two years competing in the American Junior Golf Association, Haverfield posted nine Top 20 performances, including a first-place finish at the 2002 McDonald’s All-American Tournament. Haverfield also posted strong performances at the 2002 Junior Classic at The Pines, where he tied for second and at the 2002 Kroger Junior Invitational, where he tied for ninth. Haverfield’s St. Xavier High School twice finished as state champions.
DORAN COMPETES IN 2003 COLLEGE ALL-AMERICA GOLF CLASSIC
At the conclusion of the 2003 fall season Ohio State senior Zach Doran took part in the 2003 College All-America Golf Classic.
The tournament, hosted by the Sun Bowl Association, was played at the Par-71, 6,781-yard El Paso Country Club. Each university is awarded a $1,000 scholarship if a golfer from that school competes in the tournament.
In a tournament, which displayed 26 of the nation’s top collegiate golfers, Doran tied for 22nd with a three-round total of 214.
NOTING THE FALL SEASON
Ohio State opened the 2003-04 season with a third-place finish at the Northern Intercollegiate in Ann Arbor, Mich., site of the 2004 Big Ten Championships. The Buckeyes finished the tournament with a three-round total of 874.
The Buckeyes posted their best finish of the season in the final tournament of the season as they finished second at the 2003 Landfall Classic.
Brett Williams established himself as the top golfer of the fall, competing in nine rounds and averaging 71.8 strokes per round. Williams’s best finish came at the 2003 Landfall Classic were he carded a three-round total of 213.
NOTING THE BUCKEYES
Scott Anderson … in his 2004 debut, Anderson posted a career-best finish at the 2004 Xavier Intercollegiate as he tied for fourth with a three-round total of 216 … tied for 43rd at the 2003 Barona Intercollegiate with a three-round total of 218 … competed as an individual in the 2003 Northern Intercollegiate … during the tournament, Anderson tied for 10th with a three-round total of 215 … during the 2002-03 season, Anderson placed 10th at the 2003 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.
Zach Doran … fired a season best 66 in the final round of the 2004 Xavier Collegiate Classic to finish the event tied for fourth … earned Big Ten Golfer of the Week following his performance at the 2004 Gator Invitational … during the event, Doran tied for 15th with a three-round total of 217 … tied for 32nd at the 2003 Barona Intercollegiate with a three-round total of 215 … opened the season with a strong showing at the 2003 Northern Intercollegiate as he posted a three-round total of 220 to finish the event tied for 20th … during the 2002-03 season, Doran was named first team All-Big Ten for his consistent play throughout the 2002-03 season … tied for 11th at the 2003 Big Ten Championships.
Justin Collins … notched his best tournament of the 2003-04 season at the 2003 Matlock Classic as he finished 11th … returned to the Buckeyes after redshirting during the 2002-03 season … in his first collegiate tournament in over a year, Collins posted a strong opening performance as he tied for 15th with a three-round total of 218 … during his junior year, Collins averaged 73.6 strokes per round.
Kevin Hall … tied for 17th at the 2004 Schenkel Invitational with a three-round total of 218 … tied for 12th at the 2004 Xavier Intercollegiate with a three-round total of 221 … was the second Buckeye to earn Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors following his performance at the 2004 Matlock Classic … during the event, Hall posted his best finish of the 2003-04 season as he tied for seventh with a three-round total of 215 … tied for ninth at the 2003 Barona Intercollegiate … finished 15th at the 2003 SMU Invitational with a three-round total of 221 … opened the season the 2003-04 season at the Northern Intercollegiate where he tied for 33rd with a three-round total of 224.
Peter Riddell … in his freshman season for Ohio State, Riddell saw extended time on the varsity squad and should once again contribute for the Buckeyes this season.
Colin Biles … posted a season-best fifth-place finish at the 2004 Schenkel Invitational and fired a season best three-total of 214 … tied for 11th at the 2004 Matlock Classic and finished with a three round total of 216 … tied for 20th at the 2004 Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. as he posted a three-round total of 218 … in his first collegiate tournament as an Ohio State freshman Biles competed at the Northern Intercollegiate and fired a three-round total of 226 to finish the tournament tied for 47th.
Brett Williams … posted his best career finish at the 2003 Landfall Classic where he tied for sixth with a three-round total of 213 … tied for 43rd at the Barona Intercollegiate with a three-round total of 218 … the senior appeared in his first collegiate tournament as a Buckeye during the 2003 SMU Invitational, where he placed seventh with a three-round total of 216.
30 YEARS AND COUNTING
This past season, men’s head golf coach Jim Brown completed his 30th year at the helm for the Buckeyes. Throughout his tenure, Brown has established the Ohio State men’s golf program as one of the top programs throughout the country. Since his first year in 1973, Brown has directed the Buckeyes to 16 Big Ten titles and one national championship, while compiling an overall record of 5,196-1,388-29.
2002-03 SEASON IN REVIEW
Ohio State completed another successful season under the direction of head coach Jim Brown, which marked Brown’s 30th year as head coach. Led by Zach Doran and Kevin Hall, the Buckeyes posted six Top 5 finishes including their 23rd Kepler Intercollegiate championship. After the season, Doran was named first team All-Big Ten, 2003 Ping All-America Honorable Mention and Ping Midwest All-Region after compiling a scoring average of 71.8 per round. The Buckeyes concluded the season at the 2003 NCAA Mideast Regional where they finished 14th.
MEET COACH BROWN
Now in his 31st 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.
Under Brown’s guidance, the Buckeyes have qualified for the NCAA tournament 29 times, 11 times finishing in the Top 10, while claiming one national championship in 1979. Ohio State also has dominated Big Ten play, winning 16 conference titles.
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.
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.
The winningest coach in Ohio State golf history, Brown has tutored one NCAA individual champ (Clark Burroughs – 1985), 11 Big Ten medalists, 86 All-Big Ten selections, 14 first team All-Americans and 49 other All-America honorees during his stay on the Columbus campus.
He is married to Tina Lankard and has two children, Julie, who is an Ohio State grad, and Jeff, a former member of the golf team and 1999 Ohio State graduate.
UP NEXT
The Ohio State men’s golf team returns home April 17-18, to compete in the 24th annual Robert Kepler Intercollegiate.
