Several Buckeyes Vie for U.S. Open Spots on Scarlet, Scioto Country Club – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 30, 2007
Entry List and Pairings (as of May 29) in PDF Format
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| Ryan Armour (1995-98)
John Cook (1977-79) Craig Kanada (1989-91) Chris Smith (1988-91) |
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Former Buckeyes Ryan Armour, John Cook, Craig Kanada and Chris Smith, along with Bo Hoag, who will be a freshman on the Ohio State men’s golf team in the fall, will play 36 holes Monday in Columbus attempting to qualify for the 2007 U.S. Open at the Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh June 11-17.
Jim Brown, Ohio State head men’s golf coach, said the five players with Buckeye ties look forward to competing on familiar ground.
“It’s exciting to have five former and future Buckeyes in the field representing Ohio State,” Brown said. “All have competed at the highest level and look forward to playing two golf courses they spent a lot of time on during their days at Ohio State.”
The overall field may be the best of the qualifying sectional events, Brown said.
“We are tremendously excited for the opportunity to co-host the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier with Scioto Country Club,” Brown said. “Because this event takes place the Monday after The Memorial, this is the best field of any sectional. Many of the PGA Tour players will be participating. In addition, we have attracted even more good players based on the reputation of both golf courses. Scioto and the Scarlet will provide a stern test and we know the local community will be out in great numbers to see some of the best players in the world compete on two of the world’s outstanding layouts. It will certainly be an exciting day of golf.”
Admission is free.
Armour lettered at Ohio State from 1995-98 helping the Buckeyes to three Top 6 finishes in the NCAA tournament and three Big Ten titles along the way. Armour has played in 16 PGA Tour events to date with nearly $500,000 in career earnings.
Cook lettered in Columbus from 1977-79 and has been a PGA mainstay ever since. He has won more than $12 million on the tour with 11 victories in 697 events played. He was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986. Cook’s teams won three Big Ten championships, made three NCAA tournament appearances and won the 1979 national title for the Buckeyes.
Craig Kanada, who is the lone Buckeye participating in the Memorial Tournament this week in Dublin, was a three-year letterwinner at Ohio State (1989-90). He helped Ohio State to a pair of league titles and three appearances in NCAA postseason competition. He has played in 73 PGA events and more than 200 on the Nationwide Tour. His career earnings total is nearly $1.5 million.
Smith (1988-91) led the Buckeyes to a pair of conference titles and two second-place Big Ten finishes during his time in Columbus. All four teams advanced to NCAA competition. He has earned more than $5 million playing professionally on the Nike (81 events) and PGA (280) tours.
Hoag will join the Buckeyes after an impressive 2006 campaign that saw him named 2006 Ohio Player of the Year and earn 2006 Division I Ohio High School medalist honors. In addition, he helped lead his Upper Arlington team to the 2006 Division I State Championship. Golfweek ranked Hoag the top player in Ohio and the second-ranked player in the Midwest. He was named first team all-state in 2006 and was Ohio Capital Conference League Player of the Year in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Hoag was the youngest player in the United States to advance to the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier at age 15 in 2004. Overall, he owns five Top 20 finishes in a total of eight AJGA events, with a personal best third-place finish at the 2006 Coca-Cola Junior.
Buckeye Tee Times
| Player | Time (tee) | Course |
| Hoag | 7 a.m. (10) | Scarlet |
| 1 p.m. (1) | Scioto | |
| Cook | 7:20 a.m. (10) | Scioto |
| 1:20 p.m. (1) | Scarlet | |
| Armour | 8:50 a.m. (10) | Scioto |
| 2:50 p.m. (1) | Scarlet | |
| Kanada | 8:50 a.m. (10) | Scioto |
| 2:50 p.m. (1) | Scarlet | |
| Smith | 8:50 a.m. (1) | Scioto |
| 2:50 p.m. (10) | Scarlet |
