SNYDER, MOLODVAN BATTLE AT SKYLAND PINES’ FINAL EVENT
When a championship is being played at a site for the final time, it’s fitting that the course show its best face and the winner rightfully earn the title. That transpired at Skyland Pines Golf Club in Canton on Sunday, in the 87th playing of the Stark County Amateur Championship. (Skyland is closing after Labor Day to make way for an Amazon warehouse development.)
The greens at Skyland were blazingly fast and firm, the rough just juicy enough to cast doubt, and the weather spectacularly sunny and warm. The perfect setting to determine a Stark County Amateur champion.
First round co-leader Vaughn Snyder of Massillon and defending champion Maxwell Moldovan of Green, the players with the two best championship-winning resumes in the field, separated themselves from the pack after both posted solid under par front nine scores at Skyland. They then battled all the way to the end to determine the winner, and it came down to who made the mid-range putts that mattered — and who could shake off the misses that mattered, too.
Starting the day with a three shot advantage and still up by two shots after the turn, Snyder unleashed a bomb of a drive that just crept onto the green at the par-4 10th (358 yards by the scorecard), trying to set the back nine tone. But from there he three-putted for par.
Then after another bombed drive and a tiny flip wedge that just wouldn’t stop on the Skyland table tops, Snyder three-putt the 11th for bogey, the lead cut to one.
Throughout the day Moldovan played his style of game, ignoring Snyder’s bomb-and-gouge routine. He hit fairway after fairway with less than driver, knocked it to within striking distance over and over, the rolled putts at dripping speeds to try to make his birdies.
But on the back nine, the dripped putts kept burning the edges and burning the edges and burning the edges.
The two traded pars in the middle of the back nine, and neither player capitalized on the back-to-back par-fives at 15 and 16, even though both had their chances.
Then the short par-4 17th hole made the difference.
Moldovan laid back to the center of the fairway, then knocked his iron shot to 14 feet. Snyder drove it much further up but just in the right rough, and was able to wedge it to 8 feet below the hole. Moldovan just missed his birdie try, Snyder made, and the lead was two heading into the home hole.
It was a good thing for Snyder that he had that cushion, too, as Moldovan did his Maxwell thing, spinning an iron in from the the top side of the green to 14-feet straight down the hill for birdie.
But Snyder also knocked it on the 18th to about 20 feet, just on. He ran his first side-winding putt down the hill to within inches, then tapped in to claim the victory.
On cue, Max made that final putt in front of a big crowd of on-lookers.
Massillon’s Josh Clay finished in third place at 1-under par 143. He was doing his best to chase down the leaders and was 5-under par in his final round until a hooked tee shot at the 13th derailed his momentum. Youngstown States’ Dean Austalosh and North Canton’s Caden Scarbrough finished at even par 144 in a tie for fourth place.
SENIOR DIVISIONS
In the three Senior Divisions, the battles for the championship titles weren’t nearly as close.
In the Age 50-59 Division, Canton’s Nick Lambos put on a putting clinic, holing putt after putt in shooting 2-under par 70 to finish at 1-under par 143 total. That score was good for a two shot victory over Terry Wamach of Columbus.
In the 60-69 Division, Larry Lahnan of Aurora matched his opening round of 71 at Ohio Prestick with another at Skyland Pines to finish 2-under par for the tournament to beat out Bruno Chirumbolo by four shots.
And in the 70+ Age Division, Tournament Director Randy Young put together a 157 to win by four shots over Rick Merrow.
ROUND 2 PHOTO GALLERY:
The huge tournament gift card prize payouts ($12,000+ to 40% of the field!) will be available at either Foxy Golf location after July 29.
FINAL RESULTS:
2021 Stark County Amateur Golf Championship
Ohio Prestwick Country Club, Uniontown
Skyland Pines Golf Club, Canton
Saturday, July 24 – Sunday, July 25, 2021
OPEN DIVISION:
Snyder, Vaughn 68 – 70 = 138 $750.00
Moldovan, Maxwell 71 – 68 = 139 $650.00
Clay, Josh 73 – 70 = 143 $550.00
Austalosh, Dean 74 – 70 = 144 $500.00
Scarbrough, Caden 68 – 76 = 144 $500.00
Jatich, Brandon 71 – 74 = 145 $425.00
Levengood, Mitch 75 – 72 = 147 $340.00
Mc Collins, Gunnar 76 – 71 = 147 $340.00
Smith, Kyle 76 – 71 = 147 $340.00
Wild, Jimmy 71 – 78 = 149 $275.00
Ellis, Jamison 76 – 74 = 150 $240.00
Stefanski, Ryan 72 – 78 = 150 $240.00
Belden, Charlie 75 – 76 = 151 $162.00
Crewse, Aaron 76 – 75 = 151 $162.00
Kloetzer, Shaun 77 – 74 = 151 $162.00
Lieser, Jonathan 73 – 78 = 151 $162.00
Ritter, Connor 73 – 79 = 152 $125.00
Anderson, Alex 80 – 73 = 153 $95.00
Stevens, Connor 75 – 78 = 153 $95.00
Grady, Mark 79 – 75 = 154 $70.00
Mastcko, Rich 79 – 75 = 154 $70.00
Montgomery, Brett 74 – 80 = 154 $70.00
Trzebuckowski, Justin 77 – 78 = 155 $50.00
Freudeman, Kyle 77 – 79 = 156 $25.00
Jacobs, Maurice 80 – 76 = 156 $25.00
Mosher, Daniel 79 – 77 = 156 $25.00
Ramold, Ben 74 – 82 = 156 $25.00
Horning, Camden 78 – 79 = 157
Hepner, Tim 78 – 80 = 158
Hoover, Ted 76 – 82 = 158
Belden, Bob 77 – 82 = 159
DeLillo, Jordan 84 – 75 = 159
Glista, Nathan 78 – 81 = 159
Knapp, Jonathon 76 – 83 = 159
Shamblen, Gavin 81 – 78 = 159
Terlesky, Brian 82 – 77 = 159
Adcock, Alec 76 – 84 = 160
Kungl, Fred 89 – 72 = 161
Prok, Josh 78 – 83 = 161
Simpson, Mike 81 – 81 = 162
Huscusson, Zachary 77 – 87 = 164
Schneider, Mark 85 – 79 = 164
Strang, Lance 83 – 81 = 164
Huth, Justin 83 – 86 = 169
Sheak, William 88 – 81 = 169
Evans, Joe 82 – 88 = 170
Loomis, Rob 85 – 86 = 171
Mc Bride, Joe 91 – 81 = 172
Ochs, Sully 90 – 83 = 173
Van Nostran, Drake 89 – 84 = 173
Watkins, Tyler 89 – 84 = 173
Palmerton, Jeff 84 – 90 = 174
Hanson, Gary 88 – 88 = 176
Isla, Zach 88 – 88 = 176
Palomba, Rocco 89 – 91 = 180
Testa, Cayden 90 – 97 = 187
SENIOR 50-59 DIVISION:
Lambos, Nick 73 – 70 = 143 $650.00
Wamach, Terry 71 – 74 = 145 $550.00
Spino, Bobby 72 – 75 = 147 $425.00
Kovach, Ty 77 – 72 = 149 $240.00
McBride, Tom 77 – 72 = 149 $240.00
Peterson, Kurt 79 – 70 = 149 $240.00
Cutlip, Dean 74 – 76 = 150 $110.00
Hawkins, Scott 72 – 78 = 150 $110.00
Huntley, Brian 77 – 73 = 150 $110.00
Semple, Jeff 74 – 76 = 150 $110.00
Trier, Dave 76 – 75 = 151
Freeman, Al 73 – 81 = 154
Morena, Mark 78 – 76 = 154
Chapman, Ron 78 – 78 = 156
Murray, Paul 75 – 82 = 157
Barbas, Jeff 78 – 80 = 158
DeMuesy, Tim 79 – 81 = 160
Sovak, Brian 77 – 84 = 161
Burge, Geoffrey 80 – 83 = 163
Pizzino, Mario 85 – 78 = 163
Allton, Dave 78 – 88 = 166
Toth, John 82 – 84 = 166
Stearn, Greg 86 – 82 = 168
Belden, Brian 82 – 87 = 169
Bitikofer, Matthew 89 – 85 = 174
Grimsley, Greg 88 – 96 = 184
Bishop, Shayne 75 – NC
SENIOR 60-69 DIVISION:
Lahnan, Larry 71 – 71 = 142 $650.00
Chirumbolo, Bruno 72 – 74 = 146 $550.00
Riggs, Barry 77 – 74 = 151 $425.00
Bryson, Rick 79 – 76 = 155 $325.00
Crawford, Mike 76 – 80 = 156 $200.00
Myers, Brent 76 – 80 = 156 $200.00
Bell, Ron 77 – 80 = 157 $87.50
Miller, Fred 79 – 78 = 157 $87.50
Peck, David 80 – 78 = 158 $50.00
Thomas, Mark 78 – 80 = 158 $50.00
Crider, Randy 79 – 80 = 159
Heavner, Tim 76 – 84 = 160
Spino, Sam 80 – 80 = 160
Freudeman, Dave 81 – 81 = 162
Haidet, Lon 77 – 85 = 162
Cea, Jim 78 – 85 = 163
Mendoza, Raul 83 – 84 = 167
Hart, Mike 93 – 86 = 179
Barr, Dennis 96 – 85 = 181
Wilson, Steve 85 – 97 = 182
Hanzel, Andy 85 – NC
SENIOR 70+ DIVISION:
Young, Randy 76 – 81 = 157 $400.00
Merrow, Rick 80 – 81 = 161 $350.00
Dottavio, Alex 80 – 84 = 164 $300.00
Stack, Tom 80 – 86 = 166 $250.00
Groves, Frank 78 – 90 = 168
Steinhilber, Steven 83 – 86 = 169
Goff, David 85 – 86 = 171
VanNostran, Doug 90 – 81 = 171
McNutt, Gary 87 – NC
SATURDAY SKINS, PRESTWICK:
Open Division
Jimmy Wild #9,#10,#13 $234.00
Rich Mastcko #15 $78.00
Justin Trezbuckowski #17 $78.00
50-59 Division
Brian Sovak #11 $135.00
Scott Hawkins #14,#15 $270.00
60-69 /70 Divisions
Dave Freudeman #2 $150.00
Randy Young #7 $150.00
Larry Lahnan #17 $150.00
SUNDAY SKINS, SKYLAND:
Open Division
Rich Mastcko #2 $97.50
Josh Clay #5 $97.50
Mark Schneider #13#14 $195.00
50-59 Divison
Jeff Semple #4 $81.00
Terry Wamack #5 $81.00
Scott Hawkins #6 $81.00
Kurt Peterson #16 $81.00
Dean Cutlip #9 $81.00
60-69/ 70 Divisions
Larry Lahnan #6 $150.00
Mike Hart #7 $150.00
Brent Myers #15 $150.00
SATURDAY CASH POT, PRESTWICK:
Open Division
Vaughn Snyder $100.00
Jimmy Wild $70.00
Brian Stefanski $50.00
50-59 Division
Terry Wamach $100.00
Scott Hawkins $60.00
Nick Lambos $25.00
Allen Freeman $25.00
60-69 Division
Larry Lahnan $90.00
Bruno Chirumbolo $60.00
Brent Myers $20.00
Tim Heavner $20.00
Mike Crawford $20.00
70+ Division
Randy Young $60.00
Frank Groves $30.00
SUNDAY CASH POT, SKYLAND:
Open Division
Josh Clay $80.00
Vaughn Snyder $80.00
Shawn Koetzer $50.00
Aaron Crewse $16.00
Mark Grady $16.00
Riack Mastcko $16.00
50-59 Division
Nick Lambos $85.00
Kurt Peterson $85.00
Tom Mc Bride $40.00
Ty Kovach $40.00
Brian Huntley $20.00
60-69 Division
Larry Lahnan $90.00
Bruno Chirumbolo $50.00
Barry Riggs $50.00
Rick Bryson $20.00
70+ Division
Randy Young $45.00
Rick Merrow $45.00
