Big week for KSU alums in the pros and a look ahead to football camp at Kent State

Some Kent State athletics alumni made big news this past week with Taylor Pendrith topping the headlines for his play at the RBC Canadian Open.

The member of Kent State’s Class of 2014 shot a 65 in Thursday’s opening round while playing as an amateur in his PGA Tour debut. I talked to Herb Page after the round, and the Golden Flashes head coach said Pendrith was wowing the crowds and the media with his long drives. His ball speed was measured at a pretty spectacular 185 mph. 

Link to story in Golf Digest

To put that in perspective, Bubba Watson leads the PGA Tour with an average ball speed of 182.98. Long hitter Dustin Johnson is at 179.38. 

There is a great story in the Toronto Sun on Pendrith and how he fell in love with the game of golf. In it, writer Steve Buffery writes that Pendrith averaged 296.3 yards off of the tee at the Canadian Open, hitting a couple of drives in the 365-yard range.

Pretty impressive stuff. Pendrith and fellow 2014 Kent State alum Corey Conners, who also played at the Canadian Amateur as an amateur, both have bright futures on the tour. And they still have some fun ahead of them as amateurs. Just last week, Golfweek rated Conners and Pendrith co-No. 1’s in their world amateur rankings, just ahead of England’s Ryan Evans. You can click here for those rankings from July 20.

We are all also very happy to see former Kent State star Ben Curtis match his second best finish of the season with a 12th at the Canadian Open, shooting a bogey-free 65 in the final round to post 8-under for the week. 

Curtis still has some work to do to keep his card for the 2014-15 PGA Tour season, but the good news is he is playing well heading into his final two events of the season. He will play in Reno this week, hoping to move into the top 125 on the FedEx Cup list. He is currently 128. The top 125 are guaranteed their cards for next season as well as a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

THE ARCHER IMPRESSING AT STEELERS CAMP … Dri Archer made his NFL training camp debut this past weekend in Latrobe, Pa., where he wowed Pittsburgh Steelers fans with his speed.

I have a close friend from college who is a diehard Steelers fan. He makes an annual trip to Latrobe to watch the first weekend at camp. This friend was a bit skeptical of the selection of Archer in the third round. He worried about the size and his ability to stay healthy in the NFL.

After watching Archer in the first two days of practice, my friend is becoming a believer. Here’s a look at the texts he sent me from Latrobe:

In addition to lining up at running back, Archer has been used to create mismatches as a slot receiver. He has also been seen with the first team as a punt returner, according to Behind the Steel Curtain. That's a role we never really had a chance to see Archer take over during his time at Kent State. With kick returners less valuable now due to the changes in the rules in the NFL, Archer needs to have that chance to return punts. 

Here are a few of the articles featuring Archer from this past weekend:

• SB Nation, Behind the Steel Curtain: Steelers training camp: Glimpse of Dri Archer's speed, skill seen on first day at Latrobe
• NFL.com: Dri Archer impresses at Pittsburgh Steelers practice
• SB Nation, Behind the Steel Curtain: Dri Archer taking first team punt return snaps at training camp

FLASHES CAMP JUST AROUND THE CORNER … The start of preseason football camp is less than a week away. Players report between noon and 3 p.m. on Sunday with physicals and then the first team meetings set for 4:15 and 7 p.m.

Practice No. 1 will be Monday morning. There will be three weeks of practice leading up to Ohio week Aug 25-30. The first two-a-day practices are Aug. 9. This year’s jersey scrimmage will be on the morning of Aug. 16. 

Camp always seems like it lasts so much longer than it really is. The Flashes will have just 17 days of camp and four more practice days Aug 25-28 before opening the season Aug. 30.

TICKET UPDATE ... Single-game tickets for Dix Stadium are getting ready to go on sale on Aug. 1. We'll have all the information on how to get single-game tickets on www.kentstatesports.com coming up later this week. Kent State will have a new ticket system that should make getting tickets, choosing your seats and you game day experience at both at Dix Stadium and the M.A.C. Center much easier.

Season tickets are already on sale. Call 330-672-2244 for more information.