2006-07 Men’s Golf Season Outlook – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Dec. 1, 2006
The Ohio State men’s golf team is ready to get back into national contention. Ohio State enters the 2006-07 campaign with hopes of capturing a second Big Ten title in four seasons, following a five shot victory over Illinois in the 2004 championship. With veteran leadership and a group of talented newcomers the Buckeyes are searching for a berth in the 2007 NCAA Championships.
RETURNING BUCKEYES
This season, the Buckeyes return many experienced players, including four seniors and two transfers.
Ohio State will be led by top returnee Colin Biles, a senior who in 2005-06 held a scoring average of 73.4 and recorded seven Top 20 finishes individually. Biles led the Buckeyes in scoring in nine of the 12 tournaments played last season, including a team tying season low round of 69 three times. Biles led the number of rounds played (37) last season and recorded his best finish, a tie for seventh, at the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge, Oct.3-4, 2005.
The Buckeyes also return Jack Tyler, a senior who played 34 rounds in 2005-06 and had a 76.5 scoring average. His best finish came at the Inverness Invitational, where he tied for 10th.
With a mix of newcomers and veterans in the upcoming season, Brown figures to rely heavily on his seniors.
“We have a talented group of seniors led by Colin Biles and Jack Tyler,” Ohio State men’s head golf coach said. “They return with a wealth of experience after competing in 37 and 34 rounds, respectively, during last year’s campaign. Both are strong competitors with a fierce desire to win. I trust that they are ready for the responsibility of leading this team through their words and actions.”
THE NEWCOMERS
Ohio State welcomes three newcomers to the roster this season; transfers David Cape and Zach Sebert, along with freshman Patrick Simard.
Cape is a transfer from the College of Canyons in California where he helped lead his team to the Western State Conference Championship in 2005. In high school, Cape was the 2004 Foothill League MVP and scoring leader.
Sebert was a 2006 Division III All-American for Otterbein College. He was selected to the All-OAC team that was 2006 OAC Champions. He led all of Division III in sub-par strokes per round.
Simard is a freshman from Marbella, Spain. He was a Regional Champion (Spain) in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001 and was Spain’s National Champion in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Simard had a total of 14 national first-place finishes in Spain.
THE SCHEDULE
Ohio State has added four new tournaments to the schedule this season beginning Sept. 16-17 with the Gopher Invitational in Wayzata, Minn. Ohio State will travel to Edmond, Okla., to take part in the inaugural Oak Tree Invitational Oct. 15-17. Other new destinations for the Buckeyes include trips to the Rio Pinar Intercollegiate in Orlando, Fla. and the Boilermaker Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind.
“This is the best schedule I’ve had in 33 years at Ohio State,” Brown said. “The fields are so deep and so competitive. We always try to play a tough schedule because you have to see where you stand. It is important to play tough competition. And we expect to do well. You don’t get any points for showing up. We have to take advantage of these opportunities.”
The Big Ten Championships will be held in Columbus, April 27-29, with Northwestern looking to defend its 2006 title.
“We are excited about all the tournaments but the Big Ten Championship is the most important,” Brown said. “If we play the way we can, we can be up there in every tournament we play.”
SCARLET COMPLETED
The Ohio State Scarlet golf course is completed after a year-long construction overhaul. Former Buckeye and PGA legend Jack Nickalus helped design and oversee the reconstruction of the course.
“I have heard nothing but good things from golf writers all over the world,” Brown said. “They say it might be the best course in Columbus — layout and toughness wise. We’re not sure what a good score is yet. We’re looking forward to hosting the Kepler and the Big Ten and bringing in top players and seeing what they can do. It’s probably the hardest course we play anywhere. We think everything else should seem fairly easy. When your done you use all 14-clubs in the bag.”
THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN 2006-07
Close to home- Ohio State plays host to two tournaments in the state of Ohio this season.
The Buckeyes will host the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate at the newly redesigned Ohio State University Scarlet Course, April 14-15. The Big Ten Tournament will also be held at the Scarlet Course, April 27-29.
“Our team has a great mix of seniors and underclassmen,” said Brown. “I expect our team to compete week-in and week-out as we prepare for an extraordinary stretch run including the Kepler Intercollegiate and Big Ten Conference Championship on the Scarlet Course within a three-week period.”
TOUGH BUG TEN
The Big Ten looks to be one of the most competitive conferences in America again this season but Brown said the race is pretty even.
“Northwestern is the defending Big Ten Champion. Minnesota returned most players back. Purdue has all of its players back. Michigan State is returning its top players. It’s pretty even. Northwestern and Minnesota are probably the top two. We have to play our best and hit our potential.”
