SATTLER RALLIES, RUSNAK TAKES CHARGE EARLY TO WIN MITCHELL-HASKELL TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Championship Division was a two-horse race from start to finish, and what a finish it was.
The Senior Division had a few more contenders, but a terrific start made it a one-man show at the end.
The Northern Ohio PGA’s 23rd Mitchell-Haskell Tour Championship ended the way all championships should end: with clutch play, terrific shot-making, and lights-out putting.
Oh, did we mention a severe dose of drama?
For Blake Sattler and Gary Rusnak, Tuesday’s final round at The Country Club will be remembered for a long time. While the respective finishes were much different, they were memorable just the same.
Sattler, a 40-year-old teaching professional from Dover, put the finishing touches on a terrific season over the final three holes to win the championship in dramatic fashion.
Rusnak, a 61-year old instructor at 1899 Indoor Golf in Twinsburg, began the day as one of four players tied for the Senior Division lead after Monday’s first round.
The two-time NOPGA Senior Player-of-the-Year distanced himself early when he played his first nine holes in a stunning 5-under 31, which led to a 67 and a 36-hole total of 4-under 140 and his second Mitchell-Haskell title since joining the Section five years ago.
Talk about lights-out putting. Rusnak, from Painesville, made birdie putts of 30, 10, 30, 12, and 8 feet on his opening nine. He birdied three holes in a row and five of his first six.
“I felt like I was in my 20’s all over again,” he said. “I haven’t had a great year and haven’t putted that well for several years. It was a feel thing. I had become short and jabbing with my putter so I focused on taking it back longer and having a shorter follow through.”
Obviously, it worked.
Tony Milam, proprietor of the North Coast Junior Golf Tour and the 2017 Senior Mitchell-Haskell champion and the 2019 Ohio Senior Open champ, gave Rusnak a run with a final-round 69 for a final score of 2-under par 142.
Milam went 15 holes without making a bogey and Rusnak went 14. Those two and NOPGA Hall-of-Famer Mitch Camp led the field with nine birdies.
Sattler, who is having his best NOPGA season with seven victories and 19 top-10 finishes, birdied two of his final three holes, highlighted by a stunning 45-foot putt on the final hole that led to a 6-under 66, gave him his first Tour Championship win with a two-day total of 8-under 136.
Sattler and first-round leader Michael Balcar, 31, staged a magnificent duel throughout the final round, which began with Sattler two shots back.
Balcar, also having a terrific season, played beautifully for 31 of the 36 holes. He eagled the second hole by making a 25-foot putt. His second shot from inside 100 yards on the 411-yard fourth hole hit the pin but caromed backward and almost fell into the greenside bunker. He made par but it was the first of two unfortunate occurrences.
He made birdie putts of 20 and 15 feet on the 10th and 12th and stood at 8-under with a two-shot lead when he walked to the 15th tee. He finished with nine birdies and the eagle.
However, a wayward driver led to three bogeys over his final four holes and the Brandywine assistant professional — a 3-time NOPGA Assistant of the Year — closed with a two-under 70 for a 36-hole score of 138.
He agreed it was a tough way to finish and complimented his opponent.
“Blake played really well,” he said.
Sattler, who finished second to Balcar in the Assistants Championship, played patiently and steadily on both days. As an added bonus, his father, Rick, was along for the ride, serving as a caddy.
“The game-plan was the same as all year,” he said. “Keep the ball in play and keep it simple. It was great having my dad there. I was going to go to the Guardians game tonight so I asked him if he wanted to tag along. He’s glad he did.”
Sattler finished with a tournament-best 10 birdies and played his final 22 holes without a bogey. He played his final 13 holes in seven-under, including four birdies on the back nine. Over the two days he birdied the eight par-5 holes six times.
Two birdies on the final three holes wasn’t a bad way to finish.
“I needed them,” he said, smiling and indicating the closeness of the match.
Sattler, an instructor at Willie’s Custom Golf Center in Strasburg, trailed Balcar all day until the 17th hole. His birdie attempt from 10 feet lipped away but he made par to Balcar’s lip-out bogey and the two were tied headed to the 514-yard 18th.
Sattler’s drive settled in the middle of the fairway while Balcar hooked his drive into the rough and about five yards directly behind a tree about 170 yards out.
Three feet either way he would have had a clear shot to the green. As it was, he needed to hit a cut shot around the obstructing tree and under the branches of another. He tried gallantly but his 7-iron shot caught a flier out of the rough and sailed well beyond the green, leaving him with a near-impossible shot from about 50 yards to a down-sloping pin. His third rolled to a stop about 45 feet from the pin. Two-putt bogey.
Meanwhile, Sattler’s second shot from about 185 yards reached the front edge and below the hole. He hit a marvelous putt with perfect speed. It fell for birdie.
“It was a pretty straight putt,” he said, while admitting he would have been satisfied with a two-putt. He also admitted that winning the Tour Championship was a long-time goal.
“This is definitely one that is circled,” he said. “It’s a premier event and especially the venue. The venue changes things and you want to win here. It’s great. It’s perfect.”
So, too, was Sattler’s play. And his company.
PHOTO GALLERY: 2024 Mitchell-Haskell RD2 >
FINAL RESULTS: Northern Ohio PGA
2024 NOPGA Mitchell Haskell Tour Championship
The Country Club, Pepper Pike
September 23-24, 2024
Blue Golf Hole-by-Hole Results >
Championship Division Results
1. Blake Sattler, Willie’s Custom Golf Center, $1,600.00, *70-66-136 -8
2. Michael Balcar, Brandywine Country Club, $1,200.00, *68-70-138 -6
3. Sean McGuire, Pepper Pike Club, $1,000.00, *73-70-143 -1
4. Jaysen Hansen, The Toledo Country Club, $900.00, *73-71-144 E
5. Jordan Paolini, Shaker Heights Country Club, $800.00, *75-70-145 +1
6. Jim Troy, The Golf Dome, $700.00, *73-73-146 +2
7. Jason Carbone, Canterbury Golf Club, $550.00, *73-74-147 +3
7. Mark Scott Jr., Westwood Country Club, $550.00, *72-75-147 +3
9. Nick Gustin, Erie Shores Golf Course, $400.00, *77-71-148 +4
9. Steve Bordner, The Country Club, $400.00, *76-72-148 +4
9. Garrett Korte, Northern Ohio PGA, $400.00, *73-75-148 +4
12. Mark Bixler, Kirtland Country Club, $225.00, *76-74-150 +6
12. Joe Puch, Fox Meadow Country Club, $225.00, *75-75-150 +6
12. DJ Holub, Pepper Pike Club, $225.00, *76-74-150 +6
12. Jared Toom, GolfTEC-Stonebrook, $225.00, *75-75-150 +6
16. Adam Lewicki, Portage Country Club, $30.00, *80-71-151 +7
16. Mark Sierak, Optimus Golf, $30.00, *78-73-151 +7
16. Kevin Quinn, The Country Club, $30.00, *78-73-151 +7
16. Randy Dietz, Windmill Golf Center, $30.00, *76-75-151 +7
16. Rob Moss, Pepper Pike Club, $30.00, *75-76-151 +7
T21 William McKinley, Sharon Golf Club 75 – 77 = 152
T21 Dennis Miller, PGA Of America Life Member 77 – 75 = 152
T21 Nick Paez, GolfTEC – Cleveland West 74 – 78 = 152
T24 Austin Rohrer, Alliance Country Club 79 – 75 = 154
T24 Daniel Terry, Chippewa Golf Club – Doylestown 76 – 78 = 154
T24 Antonio Bodziony, Chagrin Valley Country Club 74 – 80 = 154
27 Jennifer Creech, The Golf Dome 82 – 73 = 155
28 Drew PiersonThe Clubhouse 82 – 74 = 156
29 Matthew Creech, The Golf Dome 79 – 79 = 158
T30 Joe Meglen, StoneWater Golf Club 82 – 77 = 159
T30 Cory Kumpf, Brookside Country Club 78 – 81 = 159
32 Nate Curtis, NorthStar Golf Club 83 – 78 = 161
T33 Collin McEndree, Club Walden 86 – 77 = 163
T33 Dan Wasinski, Signature of Solon Country Club 84 – 79 = 163
35 David Morgan, Westfield Group Country Club 84 – 80 = 164
36 Averi Hanna, The Country Club 84 – 83 = 167
T37 Mary Suitca, Tannenhauf Golf Club 85 – 83 = 168
T37 Douglas Brown, Alliance Country Club 83 – 85 = 168
39 Joshua Diemer, Chagrin Valley Country Club 82 – 88 = 170
Senior Division Results
1. Gary Rusnak, 1899 Indoor Golf – Twinsburg, $800.00, *73-67-140 -4
2. Tony Milam, North Coast Junior Tour, $650.00, *73-69-142 -2
3. Mitch Camp, PGA Of America Life Member, $450.00, *74-69-143 -1
4. Tom Atchison, PGA Of America Life Member, $250.00, *73-74-147 +3
4. Jason Carbone, Canterbury Golf Club, $250.00, *73-74-147 +3
6 Rob Moss, Pepper Pike Club 75 – 76 = 151
7 Dennis Miller, PGA Of America Life Member 77 – 75 = 152
8 Jon Jones, Youngstown Country Club 78 – 77 = 155
9 Kevin Sullivan, Quail Hollow Country Club – Weiskopf/Morrish 80 – 79 = 159
DQ Eric Morgan, Plum Brook Country Club 77 – DQ
Women’s Division Results
1. Jennifer Creech, The Golf Dome, $150.00, *82-73-155 +11
2. Averi Hanna, The Country Club 84 – 83 = 167
3. Mary Suitca, Tannenhauf Golf Club 85 – 83 = 168
