The Ohio State men’s golf team will tee off this weekend in hopes of winning its 23rd conference title, when Indiana hosts the 2003 Big Ten championships.
On the green for the Buckeyes will be Zach Doran, Scott Anderson, Dave Bieterman, Kevin Hall and Zach Randol. Leading the team is coach Jim Brown, who has brought home 16 of OSU’s 22 Big Ten titles.
“We have been playing pretty solid lately,” Anderson said. “Everyone wants to win, so we are going to go up there and try.”
A few things may stand in the way of the Buckeyes – mainly the Golden Gophers and Fighting Illini. Minnesota and Illinois have been leading the conference so far this season, and last year Minnesota came away with the title.
The tournament will be held at Indiana University Golf Course. The course is a par 71, spanning 6,942 yards. The golfers will play 36 holes starting at 8 a.m. tomorrow, and another 18 holes will be played for the final round Saturday and Sunday. The course is not considered difficult, but some of its greens are sloping, adding difficulty, Doran said. The team has used this week to focus on that aspect of the course.
“We have been working on speed,” Doran said. “With this course, if you aren’t directly under the hole, you will have problems putting it in.”
Brown has been instructing the players to work on their short drives, which he said will determine who wins the tournament. Brown said knowing the short game will be a big key in this weekend’s tournamentt. The team has spent time on wedge and chip shots.
While OSU enters the tournament with the goal of walking away with the title, its strategy is to control its own game. The results of the weekend will play a factor in district rankings, which decide if the team gets into regional competition.
“We can’t focus on beating specific teams,” Doran said. “We can only focus on what we do. It isn’t about playing defense or anything.”
OSU took a positive step forward after a fifth-place finish at the Fossum Invitational in East Lansing, Mich. last weekend. This was the fifth top five finish for the Buckeyes this season.
Leading the way for Ohio State was Doran, who tied for fourth place. He finished his final round at the Forest Akers West Golf Course, shooting a 71 and a 212 for the entire weekend.
Another leading man was Bieterman, who finished 15th posting his lowest career finish as a Buckeye. He tallied a four-under-par 68, and finished play with a 218.
The team finished 16-over-par at the invitational. The tournament cut back on preparation time for the Big Ten championships as the team left for Bloomington, Ind. yesterday. OSU did not practice Monday due to NCAA regulations.
