Famous course awaits Hoosiers

Golf is a game of tradition.\nThis weekend, the men's golf team will see plenty of it when the Hoosiers compete in the 16-team Kepler Invitational Saturday and Sunday at Ohio State's Scarlet Course.\nThe Scarlet Course was rated a top 100 course by Golf Digest and is considered one of the best collegiate courses in the nation. Since it was established in 1938, the course has played host to many prestigious events, including the NCAA championships and United States Open qualifiers.\n"The Scarlet Course is one of the better courses I've played," junior Rich Thomas said. "It's one of the top university courses in the country."\nThe Scarlet Course is also famous because it was the collegiate home of golfing legend Jack Nicklaus, who played for Ohio State before winning a record 18 majors as a professional.\n"Every time we go around there, we hear some new stories about where Jack hit it and stuff he did while he was there," senior Steve Wheatcroft said. "It's interesting to play there."\nNicklaus' presence is strongly felt at the course. In the clubhouse, there are many pictures and plaques honoring the Columbus, Ohio, native. One plaque at the facility calls Nicklaus "The Greatest Golfer to Ever Play the Game."\n"When you walk around at the Scarlet Course, Nicklaus comes to mind," coach Mike Mayer said.\nWhile Nicklaus is the most accomplished golfer to walk the fairways of the Scarlet Course, other notable players have called the facility home.\nTom Weiskopf, 1973 British Open Winner and four-time runner-up at the Masters and U.S. Open, is the second most famous player to compete for Ohio State. Ten-time PGA Tour winner and 1978 U.S. Amateur champion John Cook and six-time tour winner Joey Sindelar also played for the Buckeyes. \nMany of golf's biggest names have played the Scarlet Course at some point in their careers, including Tiger Woods, who competed for Stanford in the 1995 NCAA Championships were held at the course.\nJust as famous as players who have walked the fairways, is the course itself.\nThe 7,251-yard, par-72 layout will be a stern test for the Hoosiers. The course was originally designed by Allister McKenzie, who also designed Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga.\nThe Scarlet Course is one of McKenzie's most difficult designs, and it features nine par fours of more than 400 yards. The course also has two par fives longer than 560 yards and a 230-yard par three.\n"It's a course that takes a lot of strength to play," Mayer said. \nMayer said Ohio State coach Jim Brown typically sets the course up so it is as difficult as possible to play. Some challenges facing the players at the Kepler will be two-inch rough, fast greens and pins tucked in challenging places. Some players compare the course setup at the Kepler to "U.S. Open conditions."\nThe conditions at the Scarlet Course will be the opposite of the situation the Hoosiers faced last weekend at the Guyan Golf and Country Club in the Marshall Invitational. The par-72 Guyan course played just 6,456 yards, and players took advantage of the favorable conditions.\nOhio State won the Marshall Invitational with a three-round score of 839. The average score for the Buckeyes in the tournament was a 2-under par, 70. Ohio State senior Mike Austin won the event with a score 8-under. Austin started the tournament by firing 67 in his first two rounds.\nIU finished tied for 14th with a score of 885. The Hoosiers average score was a 73.75. \n"Unlike our last tournament, 75 will be a very good score this week," Mayer said. "Last tournament, 75 wasn't a very good score."\nSophomore Aldo Jordan, who led IU last weekend with a score of 218, won't play in the Kepler because he is battling a viral infection. IU's lineup this weekend includes Wheatcroft, Thomas, sophomore Brett Hardin and sophomore Mike Miller. Thomas and Miller earned their two spots in a five-player qualifier this week. Hardin was added to the lineup when Mayer learned Wednesday that Jordan wasn't healthy enough to play this weekend. \nHardin, a Martinsville High School graduate, is making his first appearance of the season in the Kepler.\n"The lineup this week is different than any lineup we've had," Mayer said. "We're looking for answers right now. We're looking to find out why we shoot one good round and then one bad round"