Indiana University Athletics
Former Hoosier Overton Completes First PGA Major
7/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
July 20, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Former Indiana University golf standout Jeff Overton finished off a strong week in his first major championship on the PGA Tour, closing with a four round score of +21 (72-75-75-79-301) to put him in a tie for 70th at the 137th British Open Championship at Royal Birkdale (Par 70, 7,173 yards) in Southport, U.K.
Overton's 72 in the first round was just three shots off the lead and he followed that up with a solid score of 75 in round two to finish with a two-day total of +7, easily below the +9 cut.
Playing in winds gusting upwards of 30 miles per hour, Overton played under control to shoot another 75 on Saturday to sit at +12 for the tournament and only four strokes out of the top ten heading into the final round. In round three, no one in the field was able to break par and just four players shot even par on the day. The gusty winds would be a factor yet again in the final round leading to Overton's nine-over par 79.
The Evansville, Ind., native graduated from IU in 2005 and has been a PGA Tour member the last three years. During his playing days with the Cream and Crimson, Overton garnered two All-American honors and was also named Big Ten Golfer of the Year in 2004 and 2005. His 71.72 career scoring average is the lowest in school history.
