*Penn Staters Help Prepare Oakmont for U.S. Open*

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- For the eighth time in its history, Oakmont Country Club in suburban Pittsburgh will host the U.S. Open golf tournament, June 14-17. Among the closest observers of the "grand slam" event will be several Penn Staters who will look beyond the drives, chips and putts and concentrate on the fairways, greens and roughs.

David Delsandro and Patric Choncek, who graduated with degrees in turfgrass science from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences in 2006 and 1997, respectively, are assistant superintendents of the renowned Oakmont course, which is known for its fast greens, high rough and unusual features such as the famed "church pews" bunker.

Delsandro and Choncek help oversee a grounds crew of about 40, including turfgrass science alumni Matthew Pawlos (2007) and Greg Eisner (2005). In addition, several current Penn State students are working at Oakmont this summer, including interns Ryan Ifft of Saltsburg, who will be a senior in turfgrass science in the fall, and Keith Jones of State College, a student in the two-year Golf Course Turfgrass Management certificate program.

In fact, the sight of Penn Staters working at top golf venues is "par for the course." Of Golf Digest's top 25 golf courses in the United States, 14 are overseen by Penn State graduates. Here is a partial listing of Penn State alumni who have taken their turfgrass education to new heights:

--William "Marsh" Benson, director of grounds, Augusta National Golf Club (site of the Masters), Augusta, Ga. --Paul Latshaw, retired superintendent, Congressional Country Club (site of two U.S. Opens), Bethesda, Md. --Paul Latshaw (son), superintendent, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio --J. Eric Greytok, superintendent, Winged Foot Golf Club (site of five U.S. Opens), Mamaroneck, N.Y. --Jeff Corcoran, superintendent, Oak Hill Country Club (site of three U.S. Opens), Rochester, N.Y. --Matt Shaffer, superintendent, Merion Golf Club (site of four U.S. Opens), Ardmore, Pa. --Michael Sauls, superintendent, Butler National Golf Club, Oakbrook, Ill. --Mike Burke, superintendent, Cherry Hills Country Club (site of three U.S. Opens), Denver, Colo. --Jeffrey Markow, superintendent, Cypress Point Club, Pebble Beach, Calif. --James Nicol, superintendent, Hazeltine National Golf Club (site of two U.S. Opens), Chaska, Minn. --Michael Bavier, superintendent, Inverness Golf Course, Chicago, Ill. --Travis Blamires, superintendent, Troon Golf and Country Club, Scottsdale, Ariz. --David Swift, superintendent, Whistling Straits Golf Course, Sheboygan, Wis.

*Pinehurst Renovates Classic Golf Course Using Penn State Turfgrass*

Before Pinehurst Resort and Country Club hosted the U.S. Open golf tournament in 1999, the club renovated its famous "Old Course" using turfgrass varieties developed specifically for golf courses by researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

The course's famous greens were resurfaced with Penn G-2, a heat-resistant variety of bentgrass developed by Joe Duich, professor emeritus of turfgrass science. The Pinehurst, N.C., course previously resurfaced its greens in 1987 using Penncross, another Penn State turfgrass product developed by Duich.

It's been said that the sun never sets on Penn State turfgrass varieties, which are used on 90 percent of all golf courses around the world, according to Thomas Watschke, professor emeritus of turfgrass science. "The new Penn G-2 putting surface at Pinehurst's Old Course was designed to perform better in the warmer climate of the Southeast," Watschke says. "The variety also grows straight up, giving a putted ball a truer roll."

Among prominent golf courses using Penn State turfgrass varieties are:

--Pinehurst Resort and Country Club, Pinehurst, N.C. (Penn G-2) --Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga. (Penn A-1, Pennlinks, Penncross) --Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pa. (Penneagle, Penn G-2, G-6) --Butler National Golf Club, Oakbrook, Ill. (Penneagle) --Cypress Point Club, Pebble Beach, Calif. (Seaside 2) --Hazeltine National Golf Club, Chaska, Minn. (Penncross) --Troon North, Scottsdale, Ariz. (Penncross) --Cherry Hills Country Club, Denver, Colo. (Penneagle, Penncross) --Inverness Golf Course, Chicago, Ill. (Penncross, Seaside)

*Penn State's Turfgrass History*

Golf and Penn State's turfgrass program have a history longer than a Tiger Woods tee shot. The program began when Joseph Valentine, superintendent of the Merion Golf Club, convinced Pennsylvania legislators to fund a turfgrass research program at what was then known as the Pennsylvania State College. In 1924, H. Burton Musser was hired as the first Penn State turfgrass researcher. Charles Hallowell, Penn State Cooperative Extension agent in Philadelphia County, was the first county agent in the United States to specialize in turfgrass.

Musser was a pioneer in grass breeding, which involves developing new turfgrass varieties by crossing them with other grasses or by developing existing varieties into commercial products. In the 1950s, Musser and Duich developed Penncross, a bentgrass seeded variety still used today on golf greens. Other golf grasses developed by Penn State include Pennlinks, Penneagle, Seaside II, and the Penn A and G series.

Turfgrass research continues today at Penn State. The Joseph Valentine Turfgrass Research Center, a 10-acre facility near Penn State's Beaver Stadium, is a living laboratory for testing fertilizers and pesticides, as well as evaluating new turfgrass varieties for density, color and disease resistance.

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Writer-Editor: Chuck Gill 814-863-2713 cdg5@psu.edu