The Youngstown State men’s golf team will open its spring season on Friday as it begins play in the Jackrabbit Invitational hosted by South Dakota State at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nev.
After not competing in the fall due to Horizon League regulations, YSU will be taking the course for the first time since March 10, 2020. The Penguins will have gone 360 days between competitions.
Head Coach Tony Joy has announced that YSU’s lineup will include Ken Keller, Bryan Kordupel, Kevin Scherr, C.J. Hughes and Cole Christman. In addition, Derek Miller will be playing as an individual.
The tournament field will feature eight other teams including Augustana, North Dakota, Oral Roberts, SIU-Edwardsville, Southern Utah, South Dakota State, UNLV and Utah State. The teams will play 36 holes on Friday and 18 holes on Saturday with a shotgun start set for 10:30 a.m. ET each day. The course will play approximately 6,343 yards and par is 72. Live scoring will be available via Golfstat.com and the Golfstat app.
Preseason Notes
Experienced Group of Returners
- YSU returns an experienced group in 2020-21 as its roster features five seniors, one junior, four sophomores and two freshmen. The Penguins return seven golfers who competed in at least three events in 2019-20.
- Seniors Ken Keller and Kevin Scherr have competed in all 29 tournaments that YSU has played since they both joined the program in 2017-18.
- Senior C.J. Hughes has participated in 26 tournaments over the last three seasons while senior Justin Stark has been a part of 10 events and 26 rounds over the last three campaigns.
- Junior Bryan Kordupel has competed in 15 events over his first two years as a Penguin including all seven last season.
- Senior Zack Ford has participated in 10 tournaments and 26 rounds since transferring to YSU from East Tennessee State in the spring of 2019.
- Sophomore Cole Christman competed in all seven events and 18 rounds as a freshman in 2019-20.
Another Stellar Season for Scherr
- After an impressive sophomore campaign that earned him First-Team All-Horizon League honors, Kevin Scherr continued his strong play with a stellar 2019-20 season.
- Scherr averaged a team-best 73.1 strokes per round with a low round of 64 while competing in all seven tournaments and 18 rounds. His 73.1 scoring average ranks as the third-lowest single-season mark in program history. It is also the lowest scoring average since Brandon Pluchinsky set the school record of 72.4 in 2015-16.
- Scherr earned three top-five finishes and was YSU’s top finisher on three occasions. He won medalist honors for the first time against a strong field at The Heath Plan Mountaineer Invitational hosted by West Virginia with a three-round score of 213 (70-72-71). He became the first Penguin to claim medalist honors since Brandon Pluchinsky in October 2015.
- Scherr tied for second at the Towson Fall Invitational with a single-round 69, and he tied for fourth at the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational with a career-best three-round total of 204 (64-69-71).
- Scherr’s three-round 204 ranks as the second-lowest 54-hole mark in school history, and it is the lowest since Ross Beal set the school record with a 196 in October 2007. The junior’s first-round 64 (-7) at Marshall is tied for the second-lowest round in program history, and it is the lowest since D.J. Holub carded a 64 in September 2013.
- Scherr’s career scoring average of 74.8 is currently tied for the second-lowest mark by a Penguin since 2000. It would be the lowest since Pluchinsky’s mark of 74.3 that was set from 2012-16.
- Scherr has now compiled four top-five finishes and eight top-10 finishes during his career. He has competed in every round of every tournament that YSU has played since he became a Penguin.
Consistency from Keller
- Like Scherr, junior Ken Keller has competed in all 29 tournaments that YSU has played since they both joined the program in 2017-18.
- He provided consistency and stability to the Penguins’ lineup again last season as he ranked second on the team with a 73.9 strokes-per-round average. Keller’s 73.9 scoring average ranks as the fifth-lowest single-season mark in program history.
- Keller earned five top-20 finishes in seven events, was YSU’s top finisher on a team-best four occasions and carded a low round of 68.
- Keller earned medalist honors for the first time at the George Mason Orlando Invitational last March with a three-round score of 221 (72-74-75). It marked his first-career top-five finish and his third in the top 10.
- He tied for 16th at the Turning Stone Tiger Intercollegiate with a three-round score of 222 (73-70-79). The Youngstown, Ohio, native tied for 18th at the Firestone Invitational with a three-round 218 (75-71-72), and he tied for 20th at the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational with a career-best three-round total of 211 (72-68-71).
- Keller’s three-round 211 at Marshall is tied for the eighth-lowest 54-hole mark in school history. He also tied for 20th at the Towson Fall Invitational with a single-round 75.
- Keller’s career scoring average of 76.3 currently ranks as the ninth-lowest mark by a Penguin since 2000.
Christman Coming Off Impressive Freshman Campaign
- Cole Christman became a fixture in YSU’s lineup during his first season as a Penguin in 2019-20. The Boardman, Ohio, native participated in all seven tournaments and 18 rounds while being a part of the team lineup in each of the team’s first six events.
- Christman averaged 76.6 strokes per round and carded a low round of 69. He fired a low three-round score of 220 (69-79-72) at the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational.
- Christman’s 76.6 scoring average was the lowest by a freshman since Bill Gaffney averaged 76.6 strokes per round in 2012-13.
- Christman’s best finish of the season came when he tied for ninth as an individual at the George Mason Orlando Invitational with a three-round 227 (75-78-74).
- He recorded a three-round 224 (71-77-76) at the Firestone Invitational and a 231 (80-73-78) in his collegiate debut at the Turning Stone Tiger Intercollegiate.
Depth On Display
- Youngstown State displayed the depth of its roster during the 2019-20 season, giving Head Coach Tony Joy plenty of options with his lineup. Eight of YSU’s 10 players participated in at least one event while seven competed in at least three last season.
- Scherr, Keller, Christman and sophomore Bryan Kordupel each participated in all seven events and 18 rounds.
- Junior Zack Ford competed in five events and 13 rounds, Hughes played in four events and nine rounds and junior Justin Stark saw action in three events and eight rounds.
- Derek Miller played one round, finishing tied for sixth at the Towson Fall Invitational with a one-under-par 71 in his collegiate debut.
- Hughes tied for fourth at Towson with a season-low round of 70. Ford (220), Kordupel (225) and Stark (226) each notched new career-low three-round scores during the season. In addition, Kordupel (71) and Stark (72) shot new career-low rounds.
- Ford tied for ninth at the George Mason Orlando Invitational with a three-round total of 227 (78-76-73). He averaged 75.9 strokes per round and turned in a low round of 71.
Stevens Joins Program
- Brookfield, Ohio, native Conner Stevens is the lone newcomer to YSU’s roster in 2020-21.
- Stevens was a four-year letter winner at Brookfield High School and a four-time All-American Conference (AAC) Golfer of the Year.
- He was named First-Team All-Ohio each of his final three seasons. He earned First-Team All-Northeast Ohio accolades and competed in the OHSAA Division III State Championship each year of his career.
- Stevens finished as the runner-up at the state tournament as a junior in 2018 and earned a fourth-place finish in 2019.
For news and updates throughout the spring season, follow @YSUMensGolf on Twitter.