A look at recruits, winter workouts and alums on tour

By Rob Wakeling

Associate Head Coach

We are very excited about the recruiting class we just signed with Chase Johnson, Ian Holt and J.D. Hughes. 

They are all big guys at 6-foot-2, 6-3 and 6-6. College golf has turned into a power game for the most part. The courses we played in the fall were 7,100-to-7,500 yards.” Those are hard to play. It’s tough for a player who hits it 260-to-275 yards to compete on those courses. You are always mesmerized by power, and when you see Chase, Ian and J.D. hit the ball, it goes a long way. They are very powerful players. Those three guys also have great short games, but the first thing you notice is the power. 

If you look at our current players and guys like Taylor Pendrith, when you hit it as far as he does there really are no courses that are not good for you. I don’t think the shorter, fairway hitter is being phased out, but there are going to be certain courses where they will really struggle compared to longer hitters. Even if it is a tight course, some of these guys can hit their 1-iron or 2-iron 270 yards. On a tight golf course, they tone down to those and can still play it.

When you are recruiting guys who are 6-4, 6-5 and 6-6 now, you wonder what the college golfer is going to look like in 20 years. Are we going to have 7-footers playing golf? Probably. Golf keeps going that way. We are almost running out of land for some golf courses, and there are already some 8,000 golf courses out there.

Its finals week here in Kent. Taylor and Corey Conners just got back from a four-day training trip with Team Canada in Phoenix. When they came back, they checked in with us to show what they are working on. They will both probably go play the Jones Cup in early January.

At this point, all of the guys are working on their bodies and not really practicing too much. I think our guys like kind of getting away from it a little bit and laying the clubs down. But they are really working with our strength coach Bob Lemieux. He does a TPI screening and sees where they have come from September through now. Some of our guys have weaker hips, some have weak cores, some have weak shoulders.

Bob does a great job of saying that we have 90 days to work on those weaknesses and this is what each of you need to do before our next tournament.

Bob is a huge part of our success. I look back to Mackenzie Hughes a few years ago, and he is a guy who had some body deficiencies that didn’t allow him to swing the club the way he does now. I know Bob was instrumental in giving him some ideas and some exercises to specifically work on those deficiencies. They must have worked because Mackenzie is on the Web.com Tour now. 

I’ve seen lots of instances where what Bob does with our guys has had a huge impact. Corey Conners is another example. When he first got to Kent State his ball speed was 148. Now it is 168. That 20 miles per hour on a golf ball equals about 25-to-30 yards. So, what Bob does with the programs he puts our guys on is a big part of our success.

We’ve been having a lot of fun watching our alums on the professional tours in the last few months.

Ryan Yip played well in the Australian Open. John Hahn made his first cut on the European Tour and finished 47th at the Hong Kong Open (70-68-73-68–279, 1-under). Now we’ll have Mackenzie out there on the Web.com Tour. Stuff like that really snowballs when you think of how we’ll have three seniors going out there soon trying to play golf for a living. 

It’s a testament to the program Herb Page has here at Kent State, the things he has in place, the players he recruits and how he helps them get better over the course of four years here. 

Let’s be honest, the more times Kent State is mentioned on television with our guys out there on the tours, maybe it helps you get that one recruit who wonders, hey, what’s going on at Kent State? They have three or four guys. We get so much great publicity from Ben Curtis, but when you have three, four, five guys out there playing, it really does create a snowball effect. 

It’s exciting, and it causes us to hit refresh a lot on our phones to keep up with the leaderboards and see how our guys are doing on the tours.

By Herb Page

Head Coach

We had a great Thursday here in Georgia on the eve of today's start of the United States Collegiate Championship.

During our practice round, I kept looking around at the other teams who are here and took some time to reminisce about where this program was 25 years ago. And now here where are playing in the U.S. Collegiate Championship, which is an invitation-only event with teams selected by a committee that looks at your past record and what you bring to the table.

We are the 19th ranked team in the nation and that means we are only the ninth best team here. But when I sit back and look at all of these teams, I'm very proud of what our program has become.

On Thursday we had a college-am and team practice round on the Lakeside Course. 

After that was the USCC College-Am and Team Dinner where the guest speakers were Stewart Cink and former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz, who is an avid golfer.

It was great to talk to Stewart Cink, who is an Open champion just like Ben Curtis. He is also a Georgia Tech guy, and Georgia Tech is hosting this great event.

Smoltz was particularly impressive. Here's a guy who has over 200 wins and 200 saves and he is talking about being a "wannabe golf pro" a second career. He was invited to play in the Nationwide last year and got very humbled, and it was interesting hearing him talk about that.

That's just more of the reward for having a program worthy of being included in the U.S. Collegiate Championship, and sometimes it means more than even the competition.

Thursday was a fabulous day, but now it is Friday and the excitement starts.

We are off to the course right now and we'll see if we can put together three good rounds and get into contention.

Short-game work before heading to Tennessee

By Herb Page

Head Coach

We have played well this season and put ourselves in position to win. We haven't been able to finish off a win yet, and our collective short games are part of the reason.

We've been trying to get our guys to take ownership of what they work on in practice. Everyone is working on something different. Our guys are not all alike, but they need to take ownership of the changes they need to make.

For example, Nick Scott needs to hit his wedges lower, flight them down and take that no-hand shot. Kyle Kmiecik has to continue to work on his posture and setup. Kyle and Josh Whalen are both working on their chipping. They are good chippers now, but they can be much better.

We have practices like every team where we work with our players, but a little unlike other sports, it is up to our players to come out the next day and do it on their own for an hour. We don't blow a whistle and everyone lines up for a drill. We work on different things with everyone.

Working on the short game is important for this team. I like this group, but they are all ball-strikers. They are bombers. We have to do a better job of getting up and down. Golf is still a game about getting your ball into the hole. 

We've done a better job this week in practice with our short games, and we'll see if it pays off this weekend at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate.

We'll be taking six golfers with us to Tennessee. Freshman Josh Whalen will jump back into the lineup and Jack Troyer will play as an individual.

After playing and finishing second two weeks ago despite an elbow injury, Taylor Pendrith is feeling much better. He has been getting treatment and he says he feels literally no pain whatsoever. But after getting a fourth and a second with a bad elbow, I'm thinking maybe we need more players with bad elbows.

Family Affair at the Schooner Classic

Greg Robertson,
Head Coach, Women's Golf

Head Coach Greg Robertson previews the weekend ahead at the Schooner Fall Classic, the final event of the women's fall schedule.

It’s going to be a great tournament with a lot of quality teams.  It is going to be a unique event.  The tournament is run by the Toby Keith Foundation, and they say there is going to be some surprises there.  We don’t know what that means but we’re hoping it might mean a little concert.

There will be a College-Am on Friday after the practice round.  Jennifer Ha is going to be representing Kent State.  Juli Inkster is going to play, as well as a couple of other LPGA players.

It’s going to be good experience for the players and it’s going to be a well-run tournament.  The field is the toughest by far that we’ve played in, so it will be a good chance to see where we are, especially as we get into the offseason and before the spring.  We will know what we need to do to improve and get a good gauge as to what we have this year.

My parents, in-laws and sister will all be at the event this weekend.  My sister is the coach for Texas Tech and we both played for Oklahoma State, who is also in the tournament, so it will be like a family reunion for me.

The Schooner Classic Website

Wins for alums Doug Hanzel and John Hahn, and Jack Nicklaus Invitational update

By Herb Page

Head Men's Golf Coach

In our world, there is nothing like winning a USGA event or a national championship. It is just the biggest stage.

I am so happy for Doug Hanzel after his victory at the U.S. Senior Amateur this week. For him to win at that level is just phenomenal.

He was on the first golf team I

ever coached and then his son, Drew, came and played for us. I know winning the U.S. Senior Am was extra special for Doug because Drew was on the bag for him this week. What a great thing.

His winning this championship is no surprise to me. I'm sure Doug Hanzel could play the Senior PGA Tour right now and make a lot of money.

We have an endowment here at Kent State in the name of Dr. Doug Hanzel, so he gives back to the school. He is a great ambassador for Kent State and the game of golf.

Here's a link to the story about the U.S. Senior Amateur victory. 

Dr. Doug Hanzel, 2013 U.S. Senior Amateur Champion

There is some other great Kent State Golf Alumni news to share this week.

John Hahn won the first stage or qualifying for the European PGA Tour, shooting almost 20-under par in Germany. He lapped the field.

Here's a link to the story on John.

He will be back in Kent next week to work here at our facility. His confidence is sky high. 

What a great week for our alums. They continue to go out and represent Kent State.

With this year's team, we are heading to Ohio State for the Jack Nicklaus Invitational on Sunday and Monday.

You may have read in the preview story on our website that we have been worried that we would play this weekend without Taylor Pendrith, who is recovering from an injury.

We may have some good news, though. He has been in to see our team doctors and our trainers, and he is rehabbing his injury. There is a chance he may be able to play.

We will make the trip to Columbus with one extra player and Taylor will be a game-time decision.

If he can't play, we have other young men ready to step up.

A visit from Ping, and a trip to Northwestern ahead

By Rob Wakeling 
Associate Head Coach, Men's Golf

Scott Sullivan, who is Ping's senior player development manager, visited us on Wednesday with all of the latest and greatest demo equipment … the new S55 irons, G25 drivers, G25 fairway woods and hybrids.

He took about an hour with each of our players. We had the TrackMan and the computer out, checking spin, launch angle, ball speed, and all of that stuff. They were all fit with new drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, all new wedges, and he even brought some of the new Scottsdale putters. 

The new S55's are the hottest thing right now, so they will be coming in as soon as they are available. But Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith both got a set because they are top-50 in the world. If you are top-50 in the world rankings, you get your sets right away. Corey and Taylor both love them. Those S55's went right into their bag and they'll be using them this weekend at Northwestern. That's pretty cool.

Ping comes every year in the fall, about a week or two after the start of the season. We tell our guys if the new Ping equipment is better than what you have or you need a fresh set of irons, go ahead and put it in.

We are one of only 10 Ping schools across the country, so we have full equipment support from Ping. The equipment is property of Kent State, but the players can use it all through their careers. When they are done, if the still use it, they can then purchase it at a discount.

Ping has been so good to us. The relationship is unbelievable. 

I think Scott must have brought 36 different shaft combinations, so our guys were trying every single one, different flexes, different weights. With the computers and TrackMan we have, it's pretty easy for guys like Corey and Taylor to have the trust to take that equipment and put them right into play that week.

When they do put that equipment in play this week at the Windon Memorial, it will be at a new course. It's called the Knollwood Club, and it is in Lake Forest, Ill. 

We don't know much about the course except that it hosted some U.S. Amateurs back in the 1950's and 60's. I'm sure it is another great north side of Chicago club. Northwestern always puts on a great event with beautiful courses. 

There will be some very good teams there. We have a very nice pairing in the opening rounds with Ohio State, Arkansas and Northwestern. 

The Windon is a very comfortable tournament for us because it is an easy flight and we always stay in the same great hotel. But it will be interesting to play a new course. It's a shorter course, from the looks of it, so we are expecting an old-school country club that isn't real long, but is very challenging around the dreams.

In our qualifier this week, Corey, Taylor and Josh Whalen were exempt based on their play last week. Josh, for a true freshman, came out and did a great job in his first tournament when the No. 1 and 4 teams in the country were in the field. He shot 69 in the first round and finished top-20 against a nice field.

For the last two spots, it came down to Kody Fry, Kyle Kmiecik and Jake Troyer on the last day. That three-for-two battle was pretty good. Jake was ahead most of the tournament, so it came down to Kyle or Kody. Kyle and Jake ended up shooting 217. Kody shot 219. 

So, the lineup is Corey, Taylor, Josh, Kody and Kyle. Next week we won't have time for a qualifier because we leave right away for Columbus next Friday night. So, the guys who are in the lineup this week control their own destiny for the next tournament.

Great week for Mackenzie Hughes, Corey Conners and Kent State

By Herb PageHead Men's Golf Coach

What a great week for Kent State!

On Sunday, Mackenzie Hughes shot 6-under and finally wins on the PGA Tour Canada at the Cape Breton Classic. We had texted him the week before. That message was just to say stay patient because he had finished second the week before and sixth before that.

Here's a guy who had no status on the Canadian Tour, and now all of a sudden he is the leading money winner and he is guaranteed a Web.com Tour card.

What people may not realize is Mackenzie is just two years out of Kent State and he is just 23 years old. The future is bright. He has always been such a hard worker and I just couldn't be more happy for him.

Here's a link to the story in the Hamilton Spectator: "Hughes puts exclamation point on remarkable summer."

And then the next day we watched another win for Corey Conners at the Gopher Invitational. That's pretty exceptional, winning back-to-back titles and being the first to do it in the nine-year history of that event. 

The way Corey won this week was so impressive. He just works his way around the golf course like a surgeon. It's precision. He maps it all out. One of his big strengths is he is very determined, and he is also incredibly committed. If we could get some more commitment from some of our other guys, where they commit to shots, then we are going to get better.

Corey needed a birdie on the last hole to win on Sunday. He had a three-putt on 16 where he had a long one that dribbled by just a little bit, and then he missed. He was paired with All-American Brandon Hagy of Cal, who knocked it in to three-feet for birdie to trim Corey's lead down to two shots. Then Corey hit a bad drive, pitched out and had to get it up and down, making a seven footer for bogey. 

All of a sudden Corey and Hagy are standing on 18 dead tied when Corey had a three-shot lead most of the day. That 18th was a different hole that day. In the previous two rounds, Corey hit a 3-wood down the left side and played the par-5 tick-tack-toe. This time, he challenged the water hazard, and if you don't fly it, you tee it up and hit again.

To clear the hazard was about 292-yard carry, and Corey made it by four or five yards. There was no doubt in Corey's mind. That's a big strength in golf. He took a 5-iron onto the green, needing to carry it about 211 to get it onto the front third of the green. Again, water to the right, bunker to the left, and he just knocked it right on. The ball released up. He had 35 feet, lagged it up, and tapped it in for the win.

It's not about the shot-making for Corey. I really believe it is about the pre-planning and his commitment to the shots he is hitting.

What a great week, but let's have a reality check. We finished third as a team. We did a lot of good things, like leading in birdies. But we had so many unforced errors that kept us from winning the tournament. We had a few three-putts from inside 10 feet. We had a couple of four-putts. Our short games let us down. This is one that got away.

The Gopher Invitational was a great field. But when you have a guy finish as medalist with all of the birdies we made as a team, you should win. Our guys know that. If we don't get to work on our weaknesses, we are just going to be an average top-20 team, and we don't want that. So, we have some work to do.

An Exciting Labor Day Qualifier

By Herb Page

Head Men's Golf Coach

Director of Golf

We just finished what is my 37th qualifier here at Kent State, and we some great scores.

Taylor Pendrith shot 62 and tied his own course record at Windmill Lakes on Friday. Jake Troyer opened with 65-66. At the end of the week, guess who won the qualifier? Corey Conners, who is coming off a great junior year and a fantastic summer run as an amateur that included reaching the semifinals at the U.S. Amateur.

There was a lot of tension on the last day of the qualifier. Some spots were available. I was very pleased to see our new freshman Josh Whalen shoot 69 on the last day. That's 1-under-par on the round and under a lot of pressure when he started the day three-shots back to get that fifth spot for his first tournament. He went out and won that spot, and we are very proud of him.

It's good to see our guys handle that kind of pressure already. In a lot of ways, these qualifiers are as pressure filled as some of the actual tournaments we'll be playing in during the year.

The lineup for this week at the Gopher Invitational in Minnesota is Conners at 12-under for the 72-hole qualifier, Pendrith at 10-under, Troyer at 5-under, Nick Scott at 3-over and Whalen at 8-over. Those are the five spots for the first road trip.

We've been doing this four-day qualifier through Labor Day for 15-to-20 years now. Our record in that time was set by John Hahn, who shot 17-under-par for four rounds at Windmill, which is just phenomenal. Corey and Taylor were trying to chase that this weekend but didn't quite get there.

Overall, we are very excited to get started in the 2013-14 season.

The team has got to develop a character, and we don't know exactly what that will be yet. We know we have the No. 1 and 2 players in the Canadian rankings in Corey and Taylor. They are both top-30 in the world rankings, and they are both in the top-50 NCAA players to watch list. It's a given with Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners that we have two of the absolute top players in the NCAA. 

But the character of this team will be determined by who is going to take that three, four and five spot. In college golf, you are only as good as your fifth man. 

We were also really excited to see several of our alums do well last week on the Canadian PGA Tour at the Wildfire Invitational. We had four guys make the cut, Mackenzie Hughes finished tied for second at 18-under. Danny Sahl was tied for 14th at 11-under. Ryan Yip tied for 35th at 7-under and Jon Mills tied for 53rd at 1-under. David Markle missed the cut by just one shot. 

On the eGolf Tour, John Hahn finished 10th last week at the MidPines Classic, shooting 10-under. So, we have a lot of guys out there on the tours playing very well, and that is very exciting.

Corey Conners looks back on a busy summer

By Corey Conners
Senior

Looking back on my summer, I am very proud of my accomplishments. My schedule was very busy travelling around Canada and the United States, but I still tried to find time to relax with friends and family.

Playing in the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open was probably the highlight of my summer. It was great to play on the same stage as many of the players I aspire to be like. I played quite well but made a few unforced mistakes and missed the cut by two strokes. Playing in a PGA Tour event is very motivating for me to continue to work hard and try to earn a spot out there one day!

Another exciting moment came at the Canadian Amateur. I was tied for the lead late in the final round but finished one shot short of the victory. I was disappointed to have not pulled through, but it still felt great to finish runner-up in the national championship of my country.

My summer concluded at the U.S. Amateur, which is arguably the world’s top amateur event. The first practice round was the day after the Canadian Amateur, so I definitely had some fire under me and was motivated to do well. I had struggled a little with my putting at the Canadian Am event so improving that was my main focus entering the U.S. Am.

I made it through the stroke play portion of the event but not without some stress. I was playing great but started giving away a few shots very late in the second round. I was luckily able to escape disaster and was really looking forward to match play with the other top 64 competitors.

I won my first 4 matches, knocking off many other great players and landing in the semifinals! There was a lot riding on the semifinal matches, as the winners not only put themselves into the finals, but are likely to receive invitations to the most prestigious event in golf – The Masters.

Despite all of this, I felt very relaxed playing in front of thousands of spectators. Unfortunately, I ran into an exceptional player and eventual champion, who hit some of the most unbelievable shots I had ever seen. I was happy with how I played and was simply beaten. Being so close to another title stung a little, but looking back, I am very proud of how I played and gained a lot of confidence knowing I can compete with the best in the world.

While I enjoyed much success over the past few months, I still recognize areas of my game that need improvement and have seen what it takes to continue getting better. I am really looking forward to my senior season here in Kent State. In addition to playing great golf, I will be finishing up my actuarial math degree. Our team has very high goals for this season as we have added a couple of great players to the team and the underclassmen from last year have continued to evolve and polish their games.

We will get to test our skills on some really great golf courses against very good competition. Our team is currently conducting qualifying to see who will get to travel to the first event and there have been some exceptional scores that I hope we will be able to translate into success throughout the season.

Personally, my goal is to win some tournaments and to have another All-American season on the golf course and in the classroom. We are very lucky here to have such a great coaching and support staff, as well as some amazing fans!