| | Photo courtesy of OSU Athletics | | Freshman Bo Hoag received second team All-Big Ten honors this season. He had the lowest-scoring average of any Big Ten freshman. |
|
|
Bo Hoag did not want to have to worry about the competition in his first season as a collegiate golfer.
No need. His scores did all the talking.
"I wanted to go out in my first season and just play golf the way I knew how," said the freshman Hoag.
Hoag and teammate Kyle Coconis earned All-Big Ten men's golf second team honors this week. Even though Hoag had the lowest stroke average of any Big Ten freshman with a 73.13, he did not earn freshman of the year honors. Instead, Illinois' Scott Langley who made neither the first or second All-Big Ten teams, won the award.
"If I had to pick either being freshman of the year or being on an All-Big Ten team, this is the way I would have gone," Hoag said.
During his freshman season, Hoag carded five rounds in the 60s, nine rounds under par and earned four top-10 finishes - earning one last weekend at the conference tournament in East Lansing, Mich.
Coconis had a stroke average of 72.81 and had a team-best six rounds in the 60s and 14 rounds under par.
The tournament was a frustrating experience at first, Hoag said. The team was eliminated from contention for one of the top spots with a poor third round of 25-over-par. In the final round, Hoag began the first hole with a double boogie and finished 3-over-par after nine.
"We were all trying to get off to a fresh start after the third round," Hoag said. "I was 3-over-par coming to the 10th hole and I boogied that one.
"I was getting pretty frustrated and Coach (Jim) Brown walked over to me and said there would be plenty of more holes for birdies coming up. I had my first birdie on the 11th hole on a 15-foot putt. That got me going and I just kind of got into a groove."
That groove turned into five birdies over an eight-hole stretch, finishing the round at 1-under-par.
Frustration disappeared as the Buckeyes posted the lowest score of the field in the final round at 4-over-par, helping OSU gain two spots to finish in a sixth place tie overall.
"I was happy with the way we competed," Brown said. "We had a third round where not one player was off, but everyone was having a bad day. You can't survive something like that and plan on finishing high.
"The players were frustrated, but they came back and played quite a bit better in the final round."
OSU now awaits the announcement for the NCAA tournament field on May 5. The Scarlet Course is slated to host one of the three regionals.
"Playing on our home course would definitely be an advantage for us," Hoag said. "We want to make the regionals since we haven't been there in four years, but we don't want to be satisfied with that.
"We would want to finish in the top 10 and go to the national championship tournament," he said.
Brad Morris can be reached at morris.565@osu.edu.
2008 Woodie Awards
Be the first to comment on this story