DAY 1 RESULTS: 2024 Ohio Cup Matches

NOPGA RALLIES IN FOURSOMES TO TAKE 9-7 LEAD

Captain Mitch Camp needed a strong second-round performance, and a strong second-round performance is what he got. With thoughts of last year’s debacle undoubtedly looming in their collective minds like a bad dream revisited, Camp’s Northern Ohio PGA team answered a collective gut-check in stunning fashion on Wednesday during the Foursomes portion of the 28th Ohio Cup Matches at Westbrook Country Club in Mansfield.

Four victories and an improbable tie in the day’s final six matches, some in late, come-from-behind style, gave the NOPGA a 9-7 lead over their Southern Ohio PGA counterparts heading into today’s final 16 singles matches.

After falling behind by a full point after the morning Fourball matches, the NOPGA turned things around with a performance that was missing last year when the SOPGA rolled to a 20.5 to 11.5 victory that extended its winning streak in this event to three in a row.

After going 3-4-1 in Fourball, they went 5-2-1 in Foursomes. The reversal did not surprise playing captain Camp, who is in his first year as captain but participating in his 23rd Ohio Cup.

“A lot of the guys have been playing well coming in down the stretch,” said Camp, who teamed with another veteran, Tom Atchison, to produce two points. “The way we paired up was kind of natural. Almost everybody played with the person they wanted to play with, just the way the team fell. I really had no selections, no decisions to make on who would play with who. Everybody was happy with where they were. Makes it easy, doesn’t it?”

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One pairing cannot win the tournament. Every point is valued. While a tie is not as good as a win, it is a helluva lot better than a loss. So, here is how Camp’s Crew began to erase the memory of one year ago, match-by-match in the afternoon.

MITCH CAMP + TOM ATCHISON:

Camp and Atchison were a formidable pairing. With the two victories, Camp is now 40-18-10 and Atchison, appearing in his 22d Cup, padded his all-time winning record to 41-16-8. The Fourball win was highlighted when Camp chipped in for eagle on the par-5 12th . Combined, they are 81-34-18. But in team match-play every point is important.

JAYSEN HANSEN + JIM TROY:

Combined, these two have won seven Section Rolex Player-of-the-Year Awards and they showed why by winning their matches by 3-and-2 and 3-and-1. They were the first match out in each round and set a positive vibe. Besides Camp and Atchison, Hansen and Troy were the only other team to go 2-0.

TOM WAITROVICH + MIKE STONE:

These veterans went an uncharacteristic 0-2. They lost a heartbreaker in Fourball to Bob Sowards and Chad Ammer in Fourball when Sowards birdied the 17th hole in a 1-up win. Then Sam Arnold and Mike Thomas made practically every putt they looked at in Foursomes and rolled, 5&4. In all fairness, Waitrovich and Stone were in Sun River, Oregon last week at this time competing in the PGA Professional Championship.

RANDY DIETZ + CORY KUMPF:

These guys provided one of three wins in Fourball when they routed former Ohio Open champion Chase Wilson and newcomer, Wyatt Wilson, 5-and-4. While they didn’t win in Fourball they rallied from a 4-down deficit after eight holes to earn a halve in Foursomes. Their rally was highlighted with some remarkable play over the final seven holes. They eagled the par-5 12th hole when Dietz hit a driver off the deck from 270 yards to five feet and Kumpf made the putt. Kumpf, playing with a sore wrist suffered earlier this week, made a birdie on 13. Dietz cut the deficit to one hole when he chipped in from behind the hole for birdie on 15, but a loss on 17 put them one down again. They earned the much-needed halve when Kumpf made a 25-foot putt on the final hole.

ROB MOSS + STEVE PARKER:

The former Kent State teammates earned a halve with Sam Arnold and Mike Thomas but fell to Bob Sowards and Chad Ammer, 3-and-2, in Foursomes. However, the tie came thanks to a rally in which Moss and Parker were three down through eight holes but birdied the ninth, 11th and 13th to cut it to one. Arnold and Thomas birdied the 14th but bogeyed the 16th and Moss and Parker pulled even with a par on 17 to another Arnold and Thomas bogey.

DREW PIERSON + MARK BIXLER:

These guys have been good friends for a number of years, and this is Pierson’s second Cup appearance but the first for Bixler. They lost, 1-up to Andy Montgomery and Doug Wade in the morning, then trailed Ricky Denny and Chris Muse early in the afternoon until they won holes 6-7-8 to pull even. Things went back-and-forth on the back nine and they were tied on 18 fairway, but Pierson nearly made a 25-footer, leaving Bixler a 6-incher. Denny and Muse 3-putted and the pals walked off with a 1-up win.

ADAM LEWICKI + NICK PAEZ:

They lost to Chris Muse and Ricky Denny 2- and-1 in the morning but never trailed in beating Andy Montgomery and Doug Wade in the afternoon. The match was tied until the 15 th hole, when Paez chipped to nine feet and Lewicki converted to go 1-up. They increased it to 2-up with a par to bogey on 16 when Lewicki chipped to four feet and closed it out when Paez made a 9-footer for par to another bogey on 17.

MARK SIERAK + ANTHONY PANEPENTO:

The most unlikely pairing in the tournament as Sierak is 21 years older than Panepento, who is making his first Cup appearance. The pairing worked beautifully in the Foursomes to earn a 3-and-1 victory over Taylor Suggs and Kyler Booher, who won in the morning, 2-and-1. In Foursomes, Sierak and Panepento trailed from the sixth hole though the 11th, but the tandem put together four birdies over the next six holes. Suggs and Booher led, 2-up until a double-bogey on 11 opened the door. Sierak and Panepento parred 12 to a bogey to pull even and birdied the 14th to take the lead and birdied 16 and 17 to win it.

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