CARBONE LEADS; HEIKKILA WINS LADIES TITLE IN THE NOPGA PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Emily Heikkila accomplished on Tuesday what 28 men will try to do on Wednesday when the Professional Championships conclude at Tippecanoe Country Club in Canfield.
Heikkila, an Assistant Professional at Trumbull Country Club, shot a final-round 7-over 79 to win the third Ladies Professional Championship by three shots over two-time winner and expectant mother Mary Suitca with a 36-hole score of 13-over 157.
Canterbury Head Professional Jason Carbone leads a field of 28 players who made the cut and will return to Tippecanoe on Wednesday for the final 18 holes of the 73rd Professional Championship – also known as the Section Championship – conducted by the Northern Ohio Section of the Professional Golfers Association of America.
Play resumes on Wednesday at 8:40 a.m., with the leaders expected to go off at 9:40.
Carbone leads by 2; 69 vaults Schroeder up the board
It was a day when a low round – anywhere near or under par – could change the complexion of a tournament.
That was the second round of the 73rd Professional Championship at Tippecanoe on Tuesday, where Canterbury Head Professional Jason Carbone pulled into sole possession of first place with a 2-under 70 and a 36-hole total of 3-under 141.
Carbone, who was in contention in this event last year until a final-round 73 doomed him at Westfield, will take a two-shot lead into Wednesday’s final round when play resumes at 8:40 a.m.
The leaders are expected to go off at 9:40 a.m.
Findlay Country Club Head Professional Jordan Schroeder shot himself into contention with a slick 3-under 69 – best round of the tournament – and stands alone in second place at 143.
Jim Troy, Coaching & Teaching Professional at The Golf Dome and the winner of the last two Section championships, is one of five players tied at 1-over 145 with the day’s third-best round of 1-under 71. That group also includes 2020 champion Jaysen Hansen and former Ohio Open champ Dennis Miller. Hansen, Head Professional at Beechmont, shot 74 and Miller, a PGA Life Member, shot 73.
Five-time champion Rob Moss, Head Professional at Pepper Pike, and first-round leader Randy Dietz (Windmill Golf Center) share eighth place with Shawnee Country Club’s Steve Mulcahy at 146.
Carbone, a Bowling Green alum, used a sizzling 11-hole stretch to move into the lead. He played holes six through 16 in 7-under with four consecutive birdies on holes nine through 12 and another on the 547-yard 14th. During that stretch he made putts of 2, 6, 2, 9 and 12 feet for birdie.
“I drove it pretty straight for the most part so the driver hasn’t gotten me in too much trouble the last two days,” said Carbone, who has worked at some of the most elite clubs in the country before arriving at Canterbury two years ago. “My irons were a little more solid today and (reading) the speed on the greens.”
An eagle on the drivable 295-yard fourth hole highlighted Schroeder’s bounce back from an opening 2-over 74. After making bogey on two of the first three holes, Schroeder played the remaining 15 holes in 5-under. The eagle was his second of the tournament with the first coming on the par-5 seventh on Monday.
The winner and four other place winners will qualify for the 56th PGA Professional Championship next spring at Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco in Frisco, Texas. Finishers 5 through 8 will serve as alternates. Reaching Frisco is a big goal.
“Anything to get into the Club Pro,” said Carbone. “You just keep trying to go, go, go until you hit the finish line and you hope it’s good enough to get you to Frisco next year.”
Heikkila wins 3rd Ladies Professional Championship
Low expectations often bring elevated results.
So it was for Trumbull Country Club Assistant Professional Emily Heikkila when she won the Ladies Professional Championship for the first time.
“I wasn’t expecting a whole lot coming into this week because I haven’t played a whole lot this year,” said Heikkila, who finished second last year when the event was held at Westfield Country Club. “I took it one stroke at a time. I just wanted to come out and play and have some fun. If a win came, a win came.”
It was the first tournament win for Heikkila, a Tiffin University graduate. It was just her second competitive event since May because of work obligations. Any win is a good win but this one was special for Heikkila, a former Northern Ohio PGA Works Fellow.
“This was extremely special,” she said. “I came out of college with no wins under my belt. Multiple times I had a chance to win a college event but was never able to pull through. I knew this event was going to be a redeemer for me. Coming in and holding it together for the two days was a challenge for me and I was up for this challenge.”
Heikkila, from Masury, Ohio, began the day with a two-shot lead but quickly increased that to three shots with a birdie on the first hole.
Suitca, who is seven months pregnant, got off to a rocky start, playing the first three holes in five-over.
Despite a triple-bogey on the par-5 14th hole, Heikkila had a 3-shot lead and closed things out with four consecutive pars.
“I thought I putted extremely well both days and that is strange for me because normally that is the weakest point of my game,” she said.
“The first day I struggled with my irons and driver and that was odd because normally that’s the strongest part of my game. For some reason I just took these greens really well. I loved the speed. I putted and had a decent short game this week.”
Westfield Assistant Professional Averi Hanna, a Cleveland State grad, began the day in second place, two shots behind. Playing in the event for the first time she struggled most of the day. She was 5-over through the first six holes on Tippecanoe’s challenging greens. She finished at 163, six shots back.
PHOTO GALLERY: 2023 NOPGA Professional Championship RD2 >
ROUND 2 RESULTS: Northern Ohio PGA
Northern Ohio PGA Professional Championship
Tippecanoe Country Club, Canfield, Ohio
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Hole-by-Hole Blue Golf Scoring >
1. Jason Carbone, Canterbury Golf Club, *71-70-141 -3
2. Jordan Schroeder, Findlay Country Club, *74-69-143 -1
3. Jaysen Hansen, Beechmont Country Club, *71-74-145 +1
3. Dennis Miller, PGA Of America Life Member, *72-73-145 +1
3. Anthony Panepento, Canterbury Golf Club, *75-70-145 +1
3. Kevin Quinn, The Country Club, *73-72-145 +1
3. Jim Troy, The Golf Dome, *74-71-145 +1
8. Randy Dietz, Windmill Golf Center, *70-76-146 +2
8. Rob Moss, Pepper Pike Club, *71-75-146 +2
8. Steve Mulcahy, Shawnee Country Club, *75-71-146 +2
11. Cory Kumpf, Brookside Country Club, *73-74-147 +3
11. Drew Pierson, The Clubhouse, *75-72-147 +3
11. Mark Scott Jr., Westwood Country Club, *77-70-147 +3
11. Mark Sierak, Optimus Golf, *73-74-147 +3
15. Nick Gustin, Erie Shores Golf Course, *73-75-148 +4
15. Garrett Korte, Northern Ohio PGA, *75-73-148 +4
17. Jordan Paolini, Shaker Heights Country Club, *74-75-149 +5
17. Tom Waitrovich, PGA Of America Life Member, *75-74-149 +5
19. Jon Jones, Youngstown Country Club, *72-78-150 +6
20. Steve Bordner, The Country Club, *78-73-151 +7
20. Brett Coluccio, Area 419 Golf, *79-72-151 +7
20. David Morgan, Westfield Group Country Club, *75-76-151 +7
23. Tom Atchison, PGA Of America Life Member, *77-75-152 +8
23. Collin McEndree, Club Walden, *73-79-152 +8
23. Nick Paez, GolfTEC – Cleveland West, *73-79-152 +8
26. Sean Patrick, Tippecanoe Country Club, *76-77-153 +9
26. Gary Rusnak, 1899 Golf, CLE East, *77-76-153 +9
26. Gary Trivisonno, PGA Of America Life Member, *74-79-153 +9
MC Adam Lewicki, Portage Country Club 82 – 72 = 154
MC Bryan Zurawski, Zurawski Enterprises Inc 74 – 80 = 154
MC Tyler Peterson, Portage Country Club 75 – 80 = 155
MC Mike Rankin, Westbrook Country Club 77 – 79 = 156
MC Justin Pollock, The Toledo Country Club 77 – 79 = 156
MC Kevin Moskevich, Westfield Group Country Club 77 – 79 = 156
MC Milton Carswell, Stone Oak Country Club 76 – 80 = 156
MC Scott Pollack, 1899 Golf, CLE East 81 – 76 = 157
MC Jared Toom, GolfTEC-Stonebrook 82 – 75 = 157
MC Matthew Creech, The Golf Dome 76 – 81 = 157
MC Jake Kruegel, Salem Hills Golf & Country Club 85 – 73 = 158
MC Willie Yacknow, X-Golf Broadview Heights 81 – 77 = 158
MC Andy Silverman, Canterbury Golf Club 77 – 81 = 158
MC Mark Bixler, Kirtland Country Club 83 – 76 = 159
MC Daniel Terry, Chippewa Golf Club 78 – 82 = 160
MC William McKinley, Sharon Golf Club 78 – 82 = 160
MC Joe Meglen, StoneWater Golf Club 85 – 75 = 160
MC Mitch Camp, Club Walden 81 – 79 = 160
MC Trevor Thomas, The Delphos Country Club 82 – 78 = 160
MC Jason Nussbaum, Congress Lake Club 79 – 82 = 161
MC Jason Hastings, Shaker Heights Country Club 79 – 82 = 161
MC Tony Adcock, 1899 Indoor Golf 80 – 82 = 162
MC Kevin Sullivan, Quail Hollow Country Club – Weiskopf/Morrish 82 – 82 = 164
MC Trent Maxwell, Windmill Golf Center 77 – 87 = 164
MC Scott Karabin, Old Avalon Golf Course 82 – 82 = 164
MC Nate Curtis, Northstar Golf Club 79 – 85 = 164
MC Joshua Diemer, Chagrin Valley Country Club 83 – 82 = 165
MC Justin Long, Windmill Lakes Golf Club 82 – 83 = 165
MC Chad Kitzmiller, Westfield Group Country Club 80 – 85 = 165
MC Douglas Brown, Alliance Country Club 77 – 91 = 168
MC Tony Milam, North Coast Junior Tour 86 – 83 = 169
MC Chris Knevel, Westwood Country Club 84 – 92 = 176
JWD Mark Evans, The Mayfield Sand Ridge Club – Mayfield 77 77
JWD Andy Santor, Reserve Run Golf Course
FINAL RESULTS: Northern Ohio PGA
2023 NOPGA Ladies Professional Championship
Tippecanoe Country Club, Canfield, Ohio
August 21-22, 2023
1. Emily Heikkila, Trumbull Country Club, *78-79-157 +13
2. Mary Suitca, Tannenhauf Golf Club, *81-79-160 +16
3. Averi Hanna, Westfield Group Country Club, *80-83-163 +19
