More than 100 golfers converged on the fairways of Oak Knolls and Windmill Lakes golf courses this weekend to vie for the right to call themselves a Record-Courier Portage County Amateur Champion.
In the end, three past champions successfully defended their titles from 2013 and three new champions were crowned.
COUNTY DIVISION
In last year’s event, it took a three-hole play-off for Bud Radis of Aurora (pictured above) to capture the championship.
This summer, Radis led wire-to-wire taking a comfortable three-stroke lead into the final day and extending it by a stroke over Taylor Zoller of Kent.
Radis, a junior this Fall for the Miami University Redhawks, Radis was playing solid golf throughout the Amateur.
Radis finished with an even-par round of 72 on Sunday that included four birdies on the 6,883 yard Oak Knolls fairways. The 72 was the low round of the day.
“I thought Zoller had pulled closer to me, within two strokes, after several birdies,” said Radis.
But Taylor Zoller, a redshirt junior for the Golden Flashes in the Fall, said he was only as close as three strokes and the competition wasn’t really a battle.
Zoller concluded his round on Sunday with a one-over-par 73, a round that included back-to-back birdies on holes 13 and 14.
The two golfers competing for Mid-American Conference schools may well see each other again at the MAC Championships in the Spring.
Radis finished the championship with a final score of 140 and Zoller a 144. The two had a comfortable lead over third place Ravenna’ golfer Anthony Marozzi who carded scores of 73 and 76 for a 149.
While Zoller, Radis and Marozzi were in the final pairing, Ed Marsinek of Streetsboro was several pairings ahead.
Carding an 81 at Windmill and tied for eighth place after the first day, Marsinek had some work to do. Marsinek could be competing in the Senior division but set his sites on a County Division victory. He didn’t catch Radis, Zoller and Marozzi but he did jump into fourth place after carding a 76 to tie the one-day total posted by Marozzi and the spot behind the top three by himself.
OPEN DIVISION
Brian Smith (above) made the trek from Amherst to defend his title from 2013 and his efforts were successful.
Smith also led both days.
After the initial round at Windmill, Smith had a comfortable lead o four strokes over D.J. Holub of Reminderville, a member of the Youngstown Penguins varsity golf team.
Smith added a 74 to his first day total for a two-over-par at Oak Knolls and a final score of 145.
While Smith was sweeping the Open Division, Brett Beatty of Stow was making a move up the leaderboard.
Also firing a 74 on his final day, Beatty jumped into second place with a final 150 score to best both third-place Patrick Schultz of Akron (153) and Holub (157).
SENIORS
The third repeat champion was Dave Cutlip of Suffield (left).
The 79 Dave fired on the first day of competition at Oak Knolls was not the number he had hoped for. A former Amateur Champion and 2013 Senior Champion, Cutlip knew he had to put up a solid score on the final day at Windmill.
Solid it was as he fired a one-over-par 71 to finish with a final score of 150 and move up the leaderboard from third to first place and successfully defend his title.
Dave Peck of Macedonia was in fifth place after the first day but turned in a solid 72 on his final day of competition to finish second with a 151.
Former two-time Amateur Champion Lou Boarman of Cuyahoga Falls shot a respectable 76-77 for a final 153, good for third with Troy Luckenbaugh of Uniontown (154) and Frank Livak of Brimfield and Mike LaCivita of Ravenna, each with final two-day totals of 155, just missing the top three.
WOMEN
Gina Harmon of Mantua (above), a former member of the Crestwood varsity boys team and current member of the Ohio Dominican varsity girls team, captured the Women’s Championship with a final two-day total of 165.
Gina bested Tracy Moore of Ravenna who shot a 94 on her final day for a 202 total.
Katilyn Hawkins of Uniontown who will be a member of the Green varsity girls team this fall, took home the third place trophy.
SENIOR GOLD AND PLATINUM
The increased numbers in the 60-69 age division and 70+ age division have provided a tough competition for the golfers in the 36 hole tournament — at least the golfers below first place.
The Champion, George Bingman, in his first Portage County Amateur, came from Medina to fire scores of 71 and a two-under-par 68 at Windmill for a final two-day total of 139.
That left the rest of the field behind by 11 strokes with Gerald Musiel of Chagrin Falls capturing second with a 150 and Jeff Luken of Middleburgh Hts taking home the third place trophy with a score of 152.
Only 10 strokes separated the next nine golfers in the Senior Gold field.
Ed Taber of Aurora held onto his lead following the first day to fire an 80 at Windmill Lake and turn-in a two-day total of 155.
Two-time Amateur champion Bob Harwell of Akron scored a 158 and Terry Bonar of Aurora finished in third with a two-day total of 165.
The final day of competition at two courses concluded the Amateur week for greater Portage County area golfers starting with the Junior Amateur July 21 and 22 and finishing with the Amateur and Senior Amateur, all sponsored by the Record-Courier.
The 85th Portage County Amateur will be held at Windmill and Oak Knolls on July 25 and 26, 2015. The 8th Matt Mishler Junior Potage County Amateur is again set for the same two courses on July 20 and 21 of 2015.
FINAL RESULTS:
84TH RECORD-COURIER PORTAGE COUNTY AMATEUR
Saturday, July 26 at Oak Knolls Golf Course, Kent Ohio
Sunday, July 27 at Windmill Lakes Golf Club, Ravenna Ohio
WOMEN’S DIVISION
Gina Harmon, Mantua 82-83 165
Tracy Moore, Ravenna 108-94 202
Kaitlyn Hawkins, Uniontown 118-99-217
COUNTY DIVISION
Bud Radis, Aurora 68-72 140
Taylor Zoller, Kent 71-73 144
Anthony Marozzi, Ravenna 73-76 149
Ed Marsinek, Streetsboro 81-76 157
J. Collin Marozzi, Rootstown 78-80 158
Chris Sloe, Aurora 76-83 159
Conor O’Callaghan, Aurora 81-79 160
Shawn Ohl, Ravenna 83-78 161
Evan Lerner, Aurora 77-84 161
Cole Smith, Kent 84-77 161
Scott Schroeder, Aurora 82-81 163
David Fall, Windham 77-87 164
Alex Avalon, Aurora 81-84 165
Stu Smith, Kent 83-82 165
Nate Wachtel, Streetsboro 81-84 165
Brian Keyser, Rootstown 85-82 167
Mike Schustrich, Windham 88-80 168
Brady Adelman, Mogadore 82-89 171
Nicholas Polichena, Ravenna 87-84 171
Ben Jenior, Rootstown 88-87 175
Joe Knight, Streetsboro 91-85 176
Jason Miller, Mogadore 84-93 177
Dan Salopek, Kent 90-88 178
Pat Camillo, Mogadore 91-88 179
Chad Brazill, Streetsboro 91-92 183
Chad Friend, Atwater 100-89 189
Jacob Curtiss, Brimfield 104-93 197
Adam McCullough, Aurora WD
OPEN DIVISION
Brian Smith, Amherst 71-74 145
Brett Beatty, Stow 76-74 150
Patrick Schultz, Akron 75-78 153
Dennis Holub, Reminderville 75-82 157
Ryan Godinsky, Norton 77-81 158
Corey Hines, Leavittsburg 77-81 158
Jeremy Knight, Cuyahoga Falls 78-80 158
Brian Stroka, Land O’Lakes, Fla. 81-79 160
Matt Bova, Twinsburg 81-80 161
Jeremy Payne, Broadview Hts., 82-79 161
Jeff Barbas, North Canton 83-80 163
Abhjitt Shetti, Solon 85-80 165
John Weingart, Medina 85-81 166
Brodie Arnette, Stow 86-92 178
Derek Sibit, Tallmadge 86-92 178
Michael Shortridge, Stow 94-85 179
Kyle Filipowicz, Lake Milton 95-92 187
Thomas Smith Jr., Olmsted Falls 100-95 195
John Weingart, Mentor 85-81 166
FINAL RESULTS:
SENIOR PORTAGE COUNTY AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, July 26 at Windmill Lakes Golf Course, Ravenna Ohio
Sunday, July 27 at Oak Knolls Golf Club, Kent Ohio
SENIOR 50-59
Dave Cutlip, Suffield 79-71 150
Dave Peck, Macedonia 80-72 151
Lou Boarman, Cuyahoga Falls 76-77 153
Troy Luckenbaugh, Uniontown 80-74 154
Frank Livak, Brimfield 77-78 155
Mike LaCivita, Ravenna 80-75 155
Geoffrey Burge, Aurora 79-80 159
Mark Ciccarello, South Euclid 83-80 163
Keith Pluto, Parma 85-81 166
Michael Doherty, Suffield 87-81 168
Randy Wilburn, Deerfield 89-79 168
James Franks, Ravenna 84-85 169
Ron Cook, Girard 83-89 172
Michael Robbins, Chagrin Falls 87-87 174
John Sales, Akron 87-89 176
Mike Marsinek, Streetsboro 87-90 177
David Moser, Streetsboro 87-91 178
Anthony Messina, Mayfield Village 97-87 184
Jimmie Mullenix, Rootstown 94-91 185
George Randall, Hiram 88-101 189
Bill Coffee, Rootstown 96-93 189
SENIOR GOLD (60-69)
George Bingman, Medina 71-68 139
Gerald Musiel, Chagrin Falls 75-75 150
Jeff Luken, Middleburgh Hts., 75-77 152
Ted Reminder, Streetsboro 75-80 155
Greg Szweda, Kent 77-81 158
David Pifer, Mantua 73-86 159
Bill Fillner, Ravenna 77-82 159
John Sloe, Aurora 80-79 159
Joe Weidner, Thompson 78-83 161
Fred Fortney, Garrettsville 79-82 161
Don Labaj, Berea 79-82 161
Jim Cofojohn, Mantua 81-84 165
Bob Beal, Kent 83-87 170
Matt Habbyshaw, Aurora 81-91 172
Donald Miller, Kent 78-95 173
Robert Stevens Sr., Rootstown 89-86 175
Neil Callen, Kent 88-88 176
Mark Knopick, Rootstown 100-102 202
SENIOR PLATINUM (70+)
Ed Taber, Aurora 75-80 155
Bob Harwell, Akron 77-81 158
Terry Bonar, Aurora 78-87 165
Jerry Bobbs, Ravenna 79-87 166
Robert Hall, Ravenna 82-84 166
Wayne Burge, Akron 83 DNS
Dean Thompson, Stow 83-95 178
Bob Mishler, Garrettsville 87-92 179
Eli Maravich, Mogadore 90-92 182
Bill Ellison, Akron 89-97 186
