Thunder crackled around the Wicked Woods Golf Course in Newbury on Thursday, but the rains held off.
Good thing for Mark Julius of Painesville Township.
Celebrating his birthday, Julius used a little luck to make a big climb to the top of the 2010 Greater Cleveland Skins Game leaderboard — and he did it all in just one hole.
Julius — with a four leaf clover in his back pocket — hit his tee shot to the 165-yard par-3 third hole to 10 feet. Then he made the putt. And with those two shots, Julius claimed the only skin of the night in the 20-man field good for $460, plus grabbed the pin shot on the hole worth another $70, to earn a haul of $530.
Combined with his previous winnings, that single hole vaulted him over Tom Evans to the top of the 2010 leaderboard and the lead in the chase for the Thompson Cup.
Julius noted, “My boss gave me a four-leaf clover today at work; I guess it worked.”
Brian Pentek won the other pin shot on the par-3 sixth hole, good for $70.
Next week Thursday, the Greater Cleveland Skins Game goes back to Powderhorn Golf Course in Madison beginning at 5 p.m., where players can enjoy the great conditions and a $13 rate that includes the cart.
2010 GREATER CLEVELAND SKINS GAME LEADERBOARD: WEEK 7
| PLAYER | TOTAL | Skins | Skins $ | Pins | Pins $ |
| Mark Julius | $803.60 | 2 | $579.60 | 3 | $224.00 |
| Tom Evans | $774.00 | 2 | $690.00 | 1 | $84.00 |
| Eddie Neer | $485.35 | 3 | $401.35 | 1 | $84.00 |
| Steve Blackburn Jr | $421.33 | 2 | $337.33 | 1 | $84.00 |
| Dave Sotka | $397.75 | 2 | $327.75 | 1 | $70.00 |
| Bob Karshner | $272.93 | 2 | $272.93 | ||
| Paul Kish | $222.00 | 1 | $138.00 | 1 | $84.00 |
| Mark Kovacic | $210.60 | 1 | $119.60 | 1 | $91.00 |
| Dale Thompson | $184.00 | 1 | $184.00 | ||
| Brian Pentek | $161.00 | 2 | $161.00 | ||
| Ron Carimi | $153.33 | 1 | $153.33 | ||
| Steve Blackburn Sr | $143.75 | 1 | $143.75 | ||
| Allen Freeman | $143.75 | 1 | $143.75 | ||
| Kyle Huss | $138.00 | 1 | $138.00 | ||
| Dave Smith | $119.60 | 1 | $119.60 | ||
| Mark Foss | $87.50 | 1 | $87.50 | ||
| John Niedzialek | $87.50 | 1 | $87.50 | ||
| Nick Anagnost | $84.00 | 1 | $84.00 |
