OSU Scarlet Course Plays Host to Nationwide Tour This Week
A newly Jack Nicklaus renovated Ohio State University Scarlet Course plays host to the Nationwide Tour as they hold the first ever invite only tourney. The purse is a golden $700,000, the third largest purse on the 2007 Nationwide Tour schedule. According to the PGA Tour, the only way to be invited to this exclusive event is as follows:
• Prior and current year Tournament winners
• The leading 60 money earners on the current year Official Money List
• Prior year members that finished 21-60 on the Official Money List
• Current U.S. Amateur Champion
• Current NCAA Champion
• Current Jack Nicklaus Award winner (College Player of the Year)
• Current 1st Team All-American Team
• Six (6) Sponsor Exemptions, two of which are restricted to PGA TOUR/Nationwide Tour members
• If not otherwise eligible, any finisher in the top 25 and ties from the previous event
The Golden Bear will serve as the Honorary Chair Person and you can bet that Jack is wondering how his newly redesigned Scarlet Course will hold up to the Nationwide Tour’s top players. The course was redesigned to be the best test of college golf in the country. Jack Nicklaus is an Ohio State Alumni and he grew up not all that far from the Scarlet Course. It would seem a no-brainer that his course design group was chosen to completely renovate this classic, mid 1930’s Alister MacKenzie designed golf course. According to Eugene Smith, Ohio State’s athletic director, this is the first professional golf event to be held at Ohio State’s Scarlet Course.
