As we reach the halfway point of the season, the Northern Ohio Golf Association Player of the Year standings are tighter than ever, promising an exciting race to the finish. With only a few points separating the top contenders, the upcoming events will be crucial in deciding who will emerge as the Player of the Year and Senior Player of the Year.
Vaughn Snyder of Shady Hollow Country Club has been a standout in the Player of the Year this season. His 94th NEOA Championship and Mid-Amateur Division victories have catapulted him to the top of the standings. Vaughn’s T14 finish at the Great Lakes Auto Stroke Series: Stroke Play #2 at Weymouth CC further solidified his position. With 397 points, Snyder holds a strong lead with only three Scratch events remaining before the Tour Championship.
Behind Snyder are some familiar names. Brian Smith of Oberlin Golf Club is currently in second place in the standings. He sits 130.75 points behind Snyder halfway through the season. Smith has played in five tournaments and has won one. Jeff Sawitke, Chris Okeson, and Howard Clendenin have all had great seasons at the halfway mark and are looking for a solid second half to stay in contention.
The Senior Player of the Year division is a tight race at the top. Mark Borlin has a slight edge and sits first with a slim 1.5-point lead. Borlin has played in five events this season and claimed one win at the Great Lakes Auto Scratch Series: Foursomes at Pine Hills Golf Club. After winning the 2023 Senior Player of the Year Title last year, Borlin picked up where he left off last season and has placed in the top 10 in all but one event he has played in. With the standings as tight as they are in the Senior Division, he will have to keep playing his best golf and finish the season strong if he wants to add another title to his list of NOGA accolades.
Rounding out the top-3 in the Senior Division are Doug Hauenstein and Robert Schustrich. Hauenstein has assembled a laundry list of accomplishments in his golf career and wants to add more hardware to his collection. He has played in three events this year, winning the Great Lakes Auto: Stroke Play #1 and Match Play Qualifier. He also placed 5th in the NEOA Senior Division this year and has a 12th-place finish. Doug currently sits 1.5 points behind Borlin for the lead. Shustrich is not far behind either, sitting just 9.87 points behind Borlin. Robert has played in 3 events this season and has placed in the top 10 in all of them. He won the Great Lakes Auto: Stoke Play #2 and placed 2nd at the 94th NEOA behind Kurt Peterson.
To be eligible for Player of the Year, Players must compete in a minimum of of three (3) NOGA Scratch Series tournaments in the 2024 season. To register for upcoming events, see the Tournament Calendar >
Player of the Year Standings through June 2024
1 Vaughn Snyder 397
2 Brian Smith 266.25
3 Jeff Sawitke 250.45
4 Chris Okeson 246.25
5 Kyle Buzaki 240
6 Howard Clendenin 235
7 Thomas Bell 231.84
8 Ryan Wirtz 229.5
9 Zander Gibson 180.17
10 Nick Piesen 180
11 Ben Hogan 172.04
12 Ian Hardesty 153
13 Jesse Fox 140.5
T14 Mason Deal 140
T14 Nolan Haynes 140
T14 Yadhu Urs1 140
17 Timothy Moore 133.75
18 Andrew Malkus 128.25
19 Andrew Grayson 126
20 Brian Tischler 118.5
21 Brian Beebe 117.95
22 Jeff Blechschmidt 117.5
23 Jack Garswood 104.75
24 Joe Albrecht 100
25 Ryan Malkus 98.25
T26 Garrett Frank 97.5
T26 Griffin Todd 97.5
T26 Matthew Fuller 97.5
T26 Zach Glassman 97.5
30 Jeff Mihalick 96.87
31 Christopher Brown 95.5
32 Doug Barber 91.5
33 Ryan Stefanski 87.5
34 Rick Deichert 82
T35 Brian Polick 78.75
T35 Patrick Gallagher 78.75
T35 Shaun Kloetzer 78.75
38 Tyler Ankrom 71
T39 Jimmy Wild 70
T39 Steve Blackburn 70
41 Michael Dota 68
T42 Ben Cors 60
T42 Carter Mishler 60
T42 Dylan Dunn1 60
T42 Dylan Todd 60
T42 Hunter Todd 60
T42 Michael Porter 60
T42 Ryan Chipps 60
T42 Solomon Petrie 60
50 Liam Doyle 59
Senior Player of the Year Standings through June 2024
1 Mark Borlin 534
2 Doug Hauenstein 532.5
3 Robert Schustrich 524.13
4 Kurt Peterson 417.5
5 Allen Freeman 380
6 Tom Baugh 369.75
7 Mike Belacic 361.17
8 Scott Winckowski 347.67
9 Dean Cutlip 291.88
10 Brian Schubert 230
11 Rick Bryson 212.25
12 John Toth 183.8
13 Scott Saari 182.25
14 Brad Steven 180
15 Tom Laubacher 177.5
16 Jim Durr 150.5
17 Marc Fried 150
18 Tim Baker 139
19 David Trier 137.75
20 Chris Minear 136
21 Mark Thomas 135
22 Mike Crawford 121.5
23 Brian Sparrow 119.13
24 Robert Wadsworth 116.5
25 Tom Skidmore 113.75
26 Ray McNiece 105
27 Joe Denk 98
T28 Greg Myers 90
T28 Shayne Fischer 90
30 Mark Ciccarello 88.75
31 Paul Lagrotteria 86.25
32 Paul Ferguson 82
33 Mike Stiller 72.5
34 Nick Lambos 67.5
35 Joseph Kovach 65
36 Roger Tolley 60
37 Mike Cassell 57.5
38 Rick Merrow 56.25
39 Jim Cea 55
T40 Barry Cohn 51
T40 John Burchfield2 51
T40 Terence Marthe 51
43 Bob Spino 50
44 Ted Macaulay 49
45 Randy Skorman 47.5
46 Matthew Akers 44
47 Walter Robertson 41.25
48 Michael Austalosh 41
49 Mark Guadagni 39.5
T50 Dave Cutlip 39
T50 Ed Marsinek 39
