Indiana University Athletics
Overton to Compete at All-American Golf Classic
11/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
November 4, 2004
EL PASO, Texas - Indiana men's golf standout Jeff Overton has accepted an invitation to compete at the 30th Annual Western Refining College All-American Golf Classic. Golfweek's fourth-ranked golfer is one of thirty of the nation's elite collegiate golfers that will compete in the event, scheduled for Nov. 21-23, at the El Paso Country Club.
Overton will be the fourth Hoosier to compete in the tournament. The Evansville, Ind., native will join former IU stars Kelly Roberts (1974), Steve Rogers (1977) and Randy Leen (1997).
In addition to Overton, this year's tournament features four Golfweek preseason first team All-Americans - Anthony Kim (Oklahoma), Luke List (Vanderbilt), Spencer Levin (New Mexico) and Michael Putnam (Pepperdine). In all, 20 players in the field earned preseason All-America honors.
"We are really excited about the strength of the field," said Don Flores, tournament chairman. "From top to bottom, we have put together some of the nation's best players, who are the future of the sport."
The 2004 field was extended to a record-high 30 golfers due to the 42 eligible All-Americans. The largest previous field was in 1983 and again in 1997, when 27 golfers competed in the Golf Classic.
"For the second straight year, our sponsor, Western Refining, has made it possible to bring in a large group of All-Americans," said Bernie Olivas, Sun Bowl Association Executive Director. "We could not put on a tournament of this magnitude without the support of Western Refining."
Three players will be returning from last year's field - Putnam, Rosenfeld and Arizona State's Alejandro Cañizares, who won the 2003 NCAA Championships as a freshman.
The tournament, hosted by the Sun Bowl Association, is played at the par-71, 6,781-yard El Paso Country Club.
Throughout the years, many Western Refining College All-America Golf Classic competitors have gone on to pursue successful careers in the Professional Golfers' Association of America and on the PGA Tour. Some of the past champions include Ricky Barnes (2000), Notah Begay (1994), David Duval (1991), Matt Kuchar (1999), Davis Love III (1984), Chris Nallen (2003), Jerry Pate (1974) and Tiger Woods (1995).
Each university is awarded a $1,000 scholarship if a golfer from that school competes in the tournament.
Following is a schedule of events (times are MST):
Sunday, Nov. 21
Titleist Long Drive Contest (9 a.m.)
Ping Putting Contest (10 a.m.)
Practice round (noon)
Monday, Nov. 22
First and second rounds, 36 holes (7:30 a.m.)
Tuesday, Nov. 23
Final round, 18 holes (7:30 a.m.)
Trophy presentation (following final round, approximately 1 p.m.)
Western Refining College All-America Golf Classic Past Champions
1974 Jerry Pate, Alabama
1975 Randy Simmons, Texas
1976 Scott Simpson, USC
1977 Mike Gove, Weber State
1978 Gary Hallberg, Wake Forest
1979 Tim Norris, Fresno State
1980 Jay Don Blake, Utah State
1981 Willie Wood, Oklahoma State
1982 Billy Ray Brown, Houston
1983 John Slaughter, Houston
1984 Davis Love III, North Carolina
1985 Sam Randolph, USC
1986 Billy Mayfair, Arizona State
1987 No tournament due to pending NCAA legislation
1988 Chris Patton, Clemson
1989 Chris Patton, Clemson
1990 Geoff Griffin, Fresno State
1991 David Duval, Georgia Tech
1992 Robert Damron, Central Florida
1993 Chris Riley, UNLV
1994 Notah Begay, Stanford
1995 Tiger Woods, Stanford
1996 Chad Wright, USC
1997 Alberto Ochoa, TCU
1998 Jeremy Anderson, UNLV
1999 Matt Kuchar, Georgia Tech
2000 Ricky Barnes, Arizona
2001 Brad Heaven, Toledo
2002 Adam Rubinson, TCU
2003 Chris Nallen, Arizona
2004 Field For The Western Refining College All-America Golf Classic
JEFF OVERTON, INDIANA
Ryan Blaum, Duke
Alejandro Cañizares, Arizona State
Carlos Del Moral, Oklahoma
Will Dodson, SMU
Judd Easterling, Wichita State
Ty Harris, Georgia State
Ben Hayes, USC
Jeff Hood, California
Anthony Kim, Oklahoma
Kevin Kisner, Georgia
Bronson LaCassie, Minnesota
Mark Lamb, Arizona
Mark Leon, Penn State
Tyler Leon, Oklahoma State
Spencer Levin, New Mexico
Luke List, Vanderbilt
Todd Miller, BYU
Alex Norén, Oklahoma State
Brian O'Flaherty, Pepperdine
Erik Olson, Washington
Alex Prugh, Washington
Michael Putnam, Pepperdine
Matt Rosenfeld, Texas
Chan Song, Georgia Tech
Nathan Smith, Duke
Nicholas Thompson, Georgia Tech
Brendon Todd, Georgia
Lee Williams, Auburn
Matt Wells, Kentucky
