Thursday, May 30, 2013
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Warren native Jason Kokrak will be the latest Buckeye PGA Tour player to make his Ohio debut at the Memorial at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Columbus. The tournament runs today through Sunday.
Warren’s Jason Kokrak follows a long line of Ohio golfers back to the Buckeye State when he tees off today at the Memorial at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Columbus.
Jonah Karzmer will follow Jason Kokrak today and Friday. Watch for live updates on Vindy twitter (follow @jkarzmergolf) and Vindy.com and for full reports in The Vindicator.
Jerry McGee remembers his first time playing the Memorial.
It was in fact, the first Memorial — in 1974.
The East Palestine native had a 60-footer on the last hole to tie for the lead. He ran the first putt about 6 feet by and missed the comebacker to finish in fourth. He said he remembers it so clearly for two reasons.
First, he remembers the exact amount of money he won for coming in fourth: $8,800 (compare that to the winner’s share this year of more than $1,100,000). And secondly, because of how hard the golf course was. He believes now what he said then to a reporter:
“This course is tougher on a bad swing than Woody (Hayes) is on downs markers.”
Muirfield is as formidable a test on golf as is its creator, Ohio’s Jack Nicklaus.
Many Ohioans have helped to define top golf.
Denny Shute, Herman Keiser and Frank Stranahan were probably the three earliest Ohio greats, all playing from basically the 1920s to the 1950s.
Then came the 1950s and the introduction of Jack, who literally rewrote all of the record books for not only Ohio golf, but golf as a sport. From his outstanding amateur career, to his NCAA championships at Ohio State, to his PGA Tour dominance, Nicklaus continues to be the benchmark that all other golfing greats are compared to.
Other Buckeyes have followed: Tom Weiskopf, John Cook and Ben Curtis are probably the most recognizable names. Add Ryan Armour, Chris Perry, Frank Lickliter, Brett Wetterich, Joe Ogilvie and Kyle Reifers.
Another, Cleveland’s Jason Dufner, will join Curtis this week at the Memorial in an Ohio “homecoming” of sorts.
And it will be the Ohio debut of the latest Buckeye PGA Tour player — Warren’s Jason Kokrak.
Kokrak joined the big tour last year, but missed his chances to qualify for either of the two Ohio events. Year 2 has been better, and this week, he comes home, so to speak.
“I’ve played very well here before,” Kokrak said on Wednesday night. He estimates he’s played Muirfield 25-30 times. “There’s something about bent fairways. Long rough. Bent poa greens. It’s the stuff I grew up on. Back in Ohio, I love it here.”
McGee said your first home state tournament can actually be a challenge for a number of reasons.
There’s the added pressure a player can put on himself to want to play well “at home.”
There are more “distractions,” such as people you know wanting to pull you in different directions.
“And ‘friends’ whom you didn’t know were friends asking you for things,” McGee said.
Kokrak said the fan base will be pretty controlled. His dad will be here, as will some college buddies.
That could change if he mounts a home charge.
McGee likes Kokrak’s chances.
He pointed to Kokrak’s top-20 finish last week at Colonial as a strong sign that the second-year player is improving. McGee said Colonial is a ball-striking course and not necessarily a “bombers” course. Kokrak’s top 20-finish there demonstrates that he may be becoming more of a course-management player, which will only help him in the long run.
His 2013 stats show improvement as well. He has nine cuts made in only 15 starts. In 2012, he made 13 cuts all year. He has $591,673 in earnings. In 2012, he made $750,221 mostly off lower-profile fall events. He currently sits 96th in the overall FedEx Cup rankings. In 2012, he finished 178th.
It’s just about time and experience, Kokrak said.
This year he feels like he’s in a better spot. He knows more players. He’s more familiar with the courses and, all in all, more comfortable out on tour.
And getting here today is a dream for him.
“I’ve always looked up to tournaments like the Memorial,” Kokrak said. “So getting to play here this week is like a bucket-list thing for me.”
I did a little research to find out how other Ohioans fared in their early Ohio starts:
Nicklaus, as an 18-year-old amateur, finished tied for 12th in his first ever PGA Tour start at the Rubber City Open in Akron in 1958.
Curtis, my old teammate at Kent State, missed the cut in his first Memorial in 2003. A few months later he shocked the world and won the British Open just outside of Kent, England.
Right after that, he returned to Kent, Ohio, and took the first-round lead in his first ever WGC event at Firestone Country Club before eventually finishing tied for 30th. And he got married that same weekend.
Kokrak would no doubt like to get married to Ohio golf history this week.
“He has all the talent in the world,” McGee said. “As he finds the right combination of distance and course management, it will be smooth sailing for him in the future.”
And this week?
Barring one of those bad rounds that can just happen, McGee likes the chances of Kokrak making the cut and maybe even getting into contention.
“I wish him all the luck in the world,” McGee said.
We all do.
Jonah Karzmer is a former golf professional who writes a Sunday golf column for The Vindicator. In his spare time he sells commercial insurance for Huntington Insurance and loves getting feedback on his weekly columns via email at jonah.karzmer@huntington.com