The annual tournament being held April 16, 2022 benefits students who graduate from any Sarasota or Manatee high school and attend The Ohio State University. Over $125,000 has been awarded to local students who became a part of the Buckeye Nation; there are currently 2 local scholarship recipients attending OSU who received a combined $18,000 in scholarship money.
A $130 participation fee entitles players to 18 holes of play on the private Course Tara Golf & Country Club followed by lunch. Winner of the Hole-In-One Contest will win a two-year lease on a new Ford Mustang. Other prizes will be awarded for the Straightest Drive, Closest To The Pin, Longest Putt, Longest Drive (men’s and women’s individual awards), as well as cash prizes for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams. There will also be a long-ball-driver from Charity Golf International. All participates will be given chance tickets to win any one of 75-100 prizes donated by local stores, courses, hotels, restaurants, boutiques, and more. Hupp will speak following the luncheon.
First Team All-American Hupp won the 1971 NCAA decathlon title, improving upon his seventh place finish in 1970. Hupp, who lettered for the Buckeyes from 1969-71, competed at the 1972 Olympic Trials and was selected as part of the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame in 1974. Hupp’s Ohio Stadium decathlon record (7,456 points) set in 1971 has been retired. He held on to the overall school record for more than 40 years and remains No. 2 all-time at Ohio State in the event. He also held indoor and outdoor school high jump records when he graduated and was the first American to jump 7’ in a decathlon event. Ray Hupp was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame Sept. 7, 2018. Hupp, whose competitive career was ended because of injuries, has spent much of his post-collegiate career volunteering in youth athletics, primarily with USA Swimming and Track and Field.
The Sarasota-Manatee Ohio State University Alumni Club is ranked as a Scarlet Club through The Ohio State University Alumni Association and is one of the top clubs in the country. Since 1999 the club has supported nearly 40 students and supports the local community through beach clean-ups, the My Hometown Festival, the All-Faith’s Food Bank, and through supporting the Archie Griffin Golf Classic that raises money for the local Boys and Girls Clubs. Over 350 area households make up the membership of the local alumni organization. Those wishing to register for the golf tournament can do so by going to www.sarasotabuckeye.org to register. Don’t play golf? Donations are also accepted to support the local students. Participants may also email buckeyejp45@gmail.com to request a registration form or call 941-586-7190.