ROB MOSS CLIMBS INTO LEAD AFTER 36 HOLES AT BEECHMONT
Torrid Temperatures and its evil twin, High Humidity, could not stop Pepper Pike Club PGA Head Professional and five-time champion Rob Moss from taking the second-round lead in the Northern Ohio PGA Professional Championship on a steamy Tuesday at Beechmont Country Club.
Moss, who won this event five consecutive years from 2010 through 2014, turned in a second-round even-71 to go with an opening 69 for a 36-hole total of 2-under 140 and a one-shot lead over first-round leader and 1899 Golf, Cleveland East PGA Teaching Professional Gary Rusnak (68-73) and Windmill Lakes Golf Center PGA Teaching Professional Randy Dietz (70-71).
The final round of the event conducted by the Northern Ohio Section of the Professional Golfers Association of America will begin at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday with the leaders scheduled to go off at 9:50 a.m.
Milton Carswell (Stone Oak Country Club) climbed into sole possession of fourth place at even-142 with his second straight round of even-71 and Mark Sierak (Barrington Golf Club), Jim Troy (Honma Golf USA) and Mark Evans (The Mayfield Sand Ridge Club) shared fifth place at one-over 143.
The top five finishers in this event will qualify for the 55th PGA Professional National Championship, to be played at the OMNI Barton Creek Courses in Austin, Texas, in April. Four alternates also will be chosen.
The field of 57 was cut to the low 27 players with scores of 7-over 149 or better.
Temperatures soared over the 90-degree mark by mid-afternoon, accompanied by a suffocating humidity.
“I am exhausted,” Moss said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “You really have to concentrate and it’s tough on days like today. If you fall asleep out there you can make a double or triple real quick.”
Moss, who began the day one shot behind Rusnak at 2-under, learned that early in his round. He double-bogeyed the 553-yard fifth to fall to even for the tournament.
Redemption came swiftly as the Section’s five-time Player-of-the-Year and the runner up in last week’s Northern Ohio PGA Senior Professional Championship at Lakewood Country Club, reeled off three consecutive birdies starting at the 437-yard eighth. That got the 52-year-old left-hander to 3-under. He bogeyed two of his next four holes but got two 2-under with a birdie on the 172-yard 15th.
Rusnak, the winner of last week’s Northern Ohio PGA Senior Professional Championship, maintained his lead through 12 holes, but ran into trouble with a double-bogey – his first in at least 66 competitive holes – at the 449-yard 13th. He bogeyed the closing hole with an errant second shot but finished the day with 15 pars and two birdies.
Dietz, the Section’s Player-of-the-Year in 2019 and one of three runners-up in this event last year at Westbrook Country Club in Mansfield, had an up-and-down front nine after starting the round two shots back.
He answered two bogeys and a double on three consecutive holes to start with back-to-back birdies on the fifth and sixth. Eight straight pars followed and he closed strong with back-to-back birdies on the 15th and 16th.
Troy, a two-time Player-of-the-Year and one of the three runners-up in this event in 2020, got himself into contention with a 3-under 68, the lowest round of the day and equaling the lowest of the tournament set by Rusnak on Monday.
ROUND 2 RESULTS: Northern Ohio PGA
2021 NOPGA Professional Championship
Beechmont Country Club, Cleveland
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
1 Rob Moss Pepper Pike Club 69-71–140 -2
T2 Randy Dietz Windmill Golf Center 70-71–141 -1
T2 Gary Rusnak 1899 Golf, CLE East 68-73–141 -1
4 Milton Carswell Stone Oak CC 71-71–142 E
T5 Mark Evans Mayfield SRC – Mayfield 70-73–143 +1
T5 Mark Sierak Barrington 71-72–143 +1
T5 Jim Troy Honma Golf USA 75-68–143 +1
8 Mike Stone Belmont CC 72-72–144 +2
T9 Mark Bixler Kirtland 75-70–145 +3
T9 Steve Bordner The Country Club 71-74–145 +3
T9 Nathan Desens Inverness Club 75-70–145 +3
T9 Joe Meglen GolfTEC-Stonebrook 76-69–145 +3
T13 Cory Kumpf Brookside 74-72–146 +4
T13 Gary Trivisonno PGA Of America Life Member 74-72–146 +4
T15 Tom Atchison Salem GC 74-73–147 +5
T15 Jaysen Hansen Beechmont 75-72–147 +5
T15 Steve Mulcahy Shawnee CC 73-74–147 +5
T15 Drew Pierson Shaker Heights 72-75–147 +5
T19 Tony Adcock Seven Hills CC 75-73–148 +6
T19 Adam Lewicki Portage 71-77–148 +6
T19 Tony Milam North Coast Jr Tour 78-70–148 +6
T19 Nick Paez GolfTEC – Cleveland West 75-73–148 +6
T19 Scott Pollack 1899 Golf, CLE East 70-78–148 +6
T24 Jon Jones Youngstown 74-75–149 +7
T24 William McKinley Canterbury 76-73–149 +7
T24 David Morgan Eagle Creek GC 75-74–149 +7
T24 Michael Quinteros Inverness Club 71-78–149 +7
CUT AFTER 36 HOLES:
MC Greg Smith Westbrook CC 75-76–151 +9
MC Kevin Sullivan GolfTEC – Brecksville 77-74–151 +9
MC Jim Karr Weymouth Club 76-75–151 +9
MC Mitchell Camp Club Walden 77-75–152 +10
MC Darin de Lelys Westfield Group CC 74-79–153 +11
MC Steve Parker Portage 80-73–153 +11
MC Nick Myers Highland Meadows GC 80-73–153 +11
MC Nick Gustin Erie Shores GC 75-78–153 +11
MC Tim Perin Lakewood 76-77–153 +11
MC Jordan Paolini Shaker Heights 76-78–154 +12
MC Tom Waitrovich Lakewood 75-79–154 +12
MC David Dinan Windmill Golf Center 78-78–156 +14
MC Daniel Terry Chippewa GC 82-75–157 +15
MC Jason Nussbaum Congress Lake 79-78–157 +15
MC Kelcey Eberle Congress Lake 78-80–158 +16
MC Justin Long Windmill Lakes GC 73-85–158 +16
MC Andy Santor The Country Club 78-80–158 +16
MC Matthew Creech Mayfield SRC – Sand Ridge 79-79–158 +16
MC Mike Rankin Westbrook CC 81-78–159 +17
MC Brian Boggs Fremont CC 77-82–159 +17
MC Ryan Brawley Shaker Heights 77-82–159 +17
MC Chad Kitzmiller Westfield Group CC 80-80–160 +18
MC Nick Orr Canterbury 84-77–161 +19
MC Rob Smyser Fox Meadow Country 84-77–161 +19
MC Trent Maxwell Windmill Golf Center 80-81–161 +19
MC Adam Stinogle Westwood 80-82–162 +20
MC Collin McEndree Club Walden 83-81–164 +22
MC June Won Stone Ridge GC 84-84–168 +26
MC Chris Knevel Westwood 85-84–169 +27
MC Scott Galayde Windmill Golf Center 92-97–189 +47
