STARTS MONDAY AT PORTAGE; FORMAT FEATURES 3-DIVISIONS FOR 50th ANNIVERSARY
The prestigious Denny Shute Match Play Championship – the final major event on the 2024 Northern Ohio PGA season – takes place this coming week at Portage Country Club.
The competition will be held in three divisions for the 50th playing of the event, returning to that format after a one-year trial of all entrants competing in the same division.
Approximately 50 professionals from the Northern Ohio Section have entered the tournament, named in honor of native Clevelander Densmore (Denny) Shute, the former Portage Country Club head professional and match-play wizard who counted three-major championships among his 17 professional victories.
Shute attended Western Reserve University and was the head professional at Portage in 1936 and 1937. He was inducted into the NOPGA Hall of Fame in 1987 and into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2008.
THE SCHEDULE
Monday, October 7, 9 a.m.: Round of 32
Monday, October 7, 1 p.m.: Round of 16
Tuesday, October 8, 9 a.m.: Round of 8
Tuesday, October 8, 1 p.m.: Semifinals
Wednesday, October 9, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Finals
HAIL, ANTHONY:
Canterbury Assistant Professional Anthony Panepento, a member of the Section’s winning Ohio Cup team, returns to defend the title he won last year in impressive fashion. The 25-year-old Wooster native and Methodist University graduate won his first NOPGA major with five victories over some prominent Section members.
Round of 32: Defeated Windmill Golf Center Instructor Trent Maxwell, 3-and-2.
Round of 16: Defeated PGA Life Member and 2009 champion Tom Waitrovich, 2-and-1.
Quarterfinals: Defeated Westwood Country Club Head Professional and defending champion Mark Scott Jr., 3-and-2.
Semifinals: Defeated Pepper Pike Assistant Professional Sean McGuire, 5-and-4.
Finals: Defeated the Golf Dome Instructor and 2018 champion Jim Troy, 6-and-5.
PLAY IT AGAIN:
The list of former champions entered this year includes a cavalcade of Section members, including more than one dozen NOPGA Hall-of-Famers. Former champions entered this year:
Anthony Panepento: 2023
Mark Scott Jr.: 2022
Drew Pierson: 2021
Randy Dietz: 2019, 2020, 2013 (Associate Division)
DJ Holub: 2022 (Associate Division)
Rob Moss: 2014, 2019, 2021 (Senior Division)
Tom Waitrovich: 2009 (Senior Division)
Jaysen Hansen: 2006 (Associate Division), 2009, 2010
Mitch Camp: 1987, 2001, 2012, 2013, 2015 (Senior Division)
Jon Jones: 2006, 2007, 2022 (Senior Division)
Mark Evans: 2010, 2012 (Associate Division), 2013, 2016, 2017
Tom Atchison: 2002, 2010-11 (Senior Division)
Gary Trivisonno: 1996, 1998, 2004
Tony Adcock: 2003
