OSU Men’s Golf Travels to St. Croix Collegiate Classic – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
March 1, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s golf team returns to action at the 2005 St. Croix Collegiate Classic in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, Friday. Xavier University will play host to the three-day event at the par 72, 6,843-yard Carambola Golf Club.
The 54-hole tournament begins at 7:30 a.m. on Friday with a shotgun start. The event will conclude on Sunday with tee times beginning at 7:30 a.m.
The Ohio State Lineup
Scott Anderson
Colin Biles
Michael Haverfield
Jared Jones
Jamie Miller
Buckeyes Compete in Alumni Match
Following the first tournament of the 2005 season in Florida where the Buckeyes competed in the Gator Invitational, Ohio State made a return visit to the Sunshine State as they competed against former Buckeyes Ted Tryba, Gary Nicklaus, Doug Wade, Peter Hammar, Steve Anderson, and Nick Malinowski in an Alumni match play tournament. Current Ohio State golfers Scott Anderson, Colin Biles, Micheal Haverfield, Jared Jones, Jamie Miller and Nate Strong also competed in the event. The current Buckeyes defeated the OSU alumni 5-4. The match play event was held in Jupiter, Fla., at the 6,950-yard Bear’s Club.
Last Time Out
The Ohio State men’s golf team finished 12th with a three-round total of 900 at the 2005 Suntrust Gator Invitational.
The Buckeyes finished the event with a final round score of 296. The University of Florida played host to the 54-hole event at the par 70, 6,701-yard, University of Florida Golf Course.
Senior Scott Anderson was the top OSU golfer as he tied for 17th. Anderson concluded the tournament with a final round score of one-under-par 69 to finish the event with a total of 218.
The University of Florida won the event with a tally of 858. Florida State’s Jonas Blixt captured medalist honors in the event with a three-round mark of 209.
Haverfield Makes Buckeye Debut
Freshman Micheal Haverfield made his Ohio State debut Feb. 5-6 at the 2005 Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. In his first tournament as a Buckeye, Haverfield carded a 54-hole total of 228 to tie for 53rd.
Recapping The 2004 St. Croix Collegiate Classic
The Ohio State men’s golf team finished the 2004 St. Croix Collegiate Classic just two strokes behind team champion Fresno State with a three round total of 880 and placed third. The event was held at the par 72, 6,809-yard Carambola Golf Club in St. Croix, Virgin Islands.
Scott Anderson and Zach Doran both tied for fourth to pace the Buckeyes. Doran concluded the tournament on a high note as he fired a season-best 66.
Noting The 2004 Fall Season
-The Buckeyes’ top finish of the fall campaign came at the Barona Cup where the squad finished fifth out of 14 teams with a total score of 845.
-The three-round total of 845 at the Barona Cup marked the lowest total of the fall season.
-The Buckeyes opened the season with at the SMU Invitational where the first two rounds of the tournament were canceled because of rain.
-Eight Buckeyes saw action during the fall with Scott Anderson, Colin Biles and Zach Randol tying for the team lead in rounds played with 10 apiece.
-The Buckeyes averaged 293.5 strokes per round as a team.
-Sophomore Jamie Miller made his Ohio State debut at the Landfall Tradition where he posted a three-round total of 224.
Ohio State Inks Top Recruit
Jim Brown, Ohio State men’s golf head coach, announced the signing of St. Ignatius High School senior Dan Rush. Rush, who will come to Columbus from Avon Lake, Ohio is the first addition of 2005-06 freshman class that will attend Ohio State in the fall.
Rush comes to Ohio State after an impressive senior season at St. Ignatius where he finished eighth at the 2004 Ohio High School Athletics Association State Golf Tournament en route to All-Ohio and All-District honors. In addition to his Top 10 finish at the state tournament, Rush set numerous school records in scoring average, rounds under par and medalist honors. Rush alsowas a member of two St. Ignatius state championship teams in 2001 and 2002.
Along with his accolades at the high school level, Rush also excelled while competing in the American Junior Golf Association where he was a Rolex All-American after posing a victory at the 2004 AJGA Memorial Junior Tournament at the Ohio State University Scarlet Course. In the last two years, Rush has posted medalist honors in six national tournaments over the past two years.
“We are very excited Dan has decided to become a Buckeye,” Brown said. “Dan is a wonderful student with a great talent for the game of golf. Above all else, he is an outstanding person who comes from a tremendous family. We look for him to make a dynamic impact on our program over the next four years.”
Noting The Buckeyes
Scott Anderson- Opened the spring portion of the 2005 season at the Gator Invitational where he carded a total of 218 to tie for 17th … posted his best finish of the fall season at the Landfall Tradition as he tied for seventh with three-round total of 211 … at the Barona Collegiate Cup he a carded a total of 208 to tie for ninth-place … paced the Buckeyes as he tied for 14th at the 2004 Gary Koch Intercollegiate with a three-round total of 220 … opened the 2004-05 season at the 2004 SMU Invitational tying for 14th with an 18-hole total of 72.
Zack Randol- Carded a 209 and finished 14th at the 2004 Barona Collegiate Cup … tied for 62nd at the 2004 Gary Koch Intercollegiate with a three-round total of 231 … opened the season and competed for the first time since the 2002-03 season at the 2004 SMU Invitational … during the event, he posted an 18-hole score of 74.
Jared Jones- Opened with a first-round 80 at the 2004 Gary Koch Intercollegiate, but withdrew from the final two rounds of the tournament … opened the season at the 2004 SMU Invitational with an 18-hole total of 74.
Nate Strong- Tied for 48th at the 2004 Gary Koch Intercollegiate with a three-round total of 228.
Jamie Miller- Saw his first career action as a Buckeye at the Landfall Tradition tying for 39th with a three-round total of 224.
Colin Biles- Concluded the fall season on a high note at the Landfall Tradition as he finished with a three round of 210 to tie for fourth … posted his best round of the fall season at the 2004 Barona Collegiate Cup where he posted a 210 tying him for 15th … tied for 59th at the 2004 Gary Koch Intercollegiate as he posted a three-round total of 232 … opened the season at the 2004 SMU Invitational and posted an 18-hole total of 79.
Peter Riddell- Opened the 2004-05 season at the 2004 Barona Collegiate Cup tying for 47th (218).
Micheal Haverfield- Saw his first action as a Buckeye at the 2005 Gator Invitational where he carded a three-round total of 228 to tie for 58th.
David Vallina- Saw his first action of the season at the 2004 Barona Collegiate Cup where he posted a total of 224.
Things to Keep an Eye on During the 2004-05 Season
A repeat performance- Last season the Ohio State men’s golf team captured its first Big Ten title since the 1996-97 season. This season the Buckeyes will be gunning for back-to-back titles in Madison, Wis., which will play host to the 2005 Big Ten Championships this season.
Staying In Contention- Over the past two seasons, the Ohio State men’s golf team has been a model of consistency by finishing in a tournament Top 5, 13 times. Last season, the Buckeyes finished in the Top 5 seven times including two first-place finishes.
The lineup- This season Ohio State returns only two individuals from the Buckeyes Big Ten championship team from a year ago, setting up the possibility of the squads Top 5 changing from week-to-week.
“We have always had good teams when we have good competition among the team and have guys that will step up,” Brown said.
Meet Coach Brown
Now in his 32nd year as the Buckeyes’ head coach, Jim Brown has built the Ohio State golf into one of the finest and most respected collegiate programs in the nation.
The numbers are impressive. Under Brown’s guidance, the Buckeyes have qualified for the NCAA tournament 30 times, 11 times finishing in the Top 10, while claiming one national championship in 1979.
Ohio State also has dominated Big Ten play, winning 23 conference titles. The Buckeyes claimed their 23rd title in 2004 with a five stroke victory over Illinois. Ohio State also claimed the team title at the 2004 Marshall Invitational to give Brown 162 tournament wins during his tenure.
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. Most recently, Brown was named 2004 Big Ten Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. Prior to his 2004 Big Ten honor, Brown captured back-to-back coach of the honors in 1995 and 1996. 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.
Golf hasn’t been the only thing on Coach Brown’s mind during his tenure at OSU. Brown takes great pride in the fact that his golfers are student-athletes in the truest sense of the word. In fact, only three athletes who have exhausted their eligibility have not received degrees, during Brown’s 31-year tenure.
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.
Brown has long been a leader in college golf, serving as president of the National Golf Coaches Association from 1990 to 1992. He served on the NCAA’s Executive Golf Committee from 1990-96. In addition, the Ohio State mentor has been a member of both the All-American Selection Committee and the NCAA District IV Selection Board.
The winningest coach in OSU golf history, Brown has tutored one NCAA individual champ (Clark Burroughs – 1985), 18 Big Ten medalists, 88 All-Big Ten selections, 11 first team All-Americans and 63 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. Captain of the OSU golf squad as a senior, Brown began his coaching career in 1967 at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., and in 1969 moved to Kent State.
Brown, who served as the head golf coach and assistant basketball coach at Kent State, left there in 1973 to become the ninth golf coach in Ohio State history. Jim and his wife Tina have been married for eight years and together the couple has five children. Tina has three children, a son David Lankard, who is an OSU graduate and two daughters, Cheryl Turnbull and Anne Marie Moore, both of whom are gradated from Miami Ohio. Brown has two children Julie, who is an OSU graduate, and Jeff, a former member of the Ohio State golf team and an OSU graduate.
Up Next
The Ohio State men’s golf team returns to action March 19-20 as it competes in the 2005 Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational in Statesboro, Ga.
