Chris Okeson of Cleveland made five birdies on the back nine at Turkeyfoot Lake Golf Links to storm to victory in the 2019 NEOHgolf.com Turkeyfoot Stableford + Skins on Saturday in Akron.
His back nine run included birdies at the final three holes, earning him a total of 24 points on the day. (The event’s modified Stableford scoring system: 1 point for par, 3 points for birdie, 5 points for eagle. No negative points.)
Okeson’s final birdie at the par-5 18th also earned him a surprising skin, to add even more sweetness to the finish.
But that 18th hole could have presented a very different outcome, save one putt that sat on the lip and another slightly tugged from close range.
Paired together, Mike Simpson and Vaughn Snyder both had great birdie looks on the 18th, and makes by either player would have tied Okeson at 24 points.
Simpson’s 9-foot birdie putt from above the hole drifted slowly across the left edge then sat on the back lip, drawing a shocked groan from the rest of the group watching.
Then Snyder rolled his birdie putt from a different angle about 7-feet away, but his effort was pulled a bit left from the get-go.
Both players finished tied for second place with 22 points.
Playing from two tee boxes up under the “variable tees by age” rules, 67-year old Jim Cea finished another point back in fourth place at 21 points, after missing great birdie looks at the final two holes.
By design the skins game was the bigger pot of the two games, to allow every player the chance to walk away a winner early in the season. In addition to Okeson’s skin at 18, four other players dipped into that pot to claim their piece:
Tyler Watkins made the only eagle of the day, on the driveable par-4 fifth hole. But his eagle skin was made in an unexpected way for the big-hitting Watkins. Two of his fellow competitors found the green with their tee shots, but Watkins did not, finishing at the bottom of the steep slope below the green. From 80 yards away to a far-left back pin, Watkins holed his wedge shot to secure the day’s only eagle skin and 5 points in the Stableford.
Playing in the same group, Jimmy Wild earned his skin three holes later with a birdie at the long, downhill par-3 eighth.
Eric Wonkovich made birdie-2 at the tough par-3 second hole, to a pin tucked all the way in the back of the green behind the turkey foot mounds.
Mark Borlin made a good birdie at the par-4 third hole to grab a skin there.
Surprisingly, four holes went without a birdie on the day: the par-four 4th and 9th holes, and the par-three 13th and 15th.
With his victory, Okeson also claims the prize of the Windmill Golf Center custom club fitting session, an $85 value.
The Turkeyfoot Lake Golf Links course was in amazing shape for the 13th day of April, as players raved about the conditions, the especially the greens. The mid-April smoothness bodes well for the upcoming early May scramble and better ball events at The Foot.
The Stableford + Skins format was also a competitor favorite, with many positive comments about the fun of having the freedom to attack the flagsticks without consequence. The Series will use this same format again in September at Raintree.
The next event on the 2019 NEOHgolf.com Series schedule is the Skyland Pines Stroke Play in Canton on Sunday, May 19th.
PHOTO GALLERY: 2019 NEOHgolf.com Turkeyfoot Stableford >
FINAL RESULTS:
Northeast Ohio Golf Tournament Series
2019 Turkeyfoot Stableford + Skins
Turkeyfoot Lake Golf Links, Akron
Saturday, April 13, 2019
[Modified Stableford scoring system: 1 point for par, 3 points for birdie, 5 points for eagle.]
Chris Okeson 9 – 15 = 24 $250.00
Mike Simpson 8 – 14 = 22 $125.00
Vaughn Snyder 11 – 11 = 22 $125.00
Jim Cea 10 – 11 = 21 $75.00
Mark Borlin 8 – 11 = 19 $57.50
Troy Luckenbaugh 10 – 9 = 19 $57.50
Dave Canter 9 – 8 = 17 $31.66
Nick Fiore 5 – 12 = 17 $31.66
Eric Wonkovich 8 – 9 = 17 $31.66
Ed Diebold 10 – 6 = 16 $7.50
Justin Trzebuckowski 8 – 8 = 16 $7.50
Out of the Money:
Fred Miller 5 – 10 = 15
Larry Lahnan 10 – 5 = 15
Bobby Harmon 9 – 6 = 15
Kent Monas 7 – 8 = 15
Josh Prok 8 – 7 = 15
Ryan Stefanski 4 – 10 = 14
Rob Loomis 7 – 7 = 14
Tom Stack 6 – 8 = 14
Zach Drukenbrod 10 – 4 = 14
Kory Hull 6 – 8 = 14
Jimmy Wild 9 – 5 = 14
Mark Thomas 3 – 10 = 13
Dave Goda 7 – 6 = 13
Shaun Kloetzer 7 – 5 = 12
Rob Schustrich 5 – 7 = 12
Ron Skirpstas 9 – 3 = 12
Tyler Watkins 9 – 3 = 12
Jeff Dean 5 – 6 = 11
Matt Frey 7 – 4 = 11
Kyle Jones 5 – 6 = 11
Mark Schneider 5 – 5 = 10
Shayne Bishop 3 – 5 = 8
Adam Arman 2 – 6 = 8
Joe Sutter 2 – 6 = 8
Tommy Li 4 – 4 = 8
Ken Koprivec 4 – 3 = 7
Doug Flemming 2 – 4 = 6
Aaron Czetli 0 – 4 = 4
Kevin Larizza 3 – 0 = 3
Josef Kammerhofer 0 – 2 = 2
Matt Warren DNS
Shannon Bartruff DNS
SKINS: $328 ea
Eric Wonkovich – Birdie-2 Hole #2
Mark Borlin – Birdie-3 Hole #3
Tyler Watkins – Eagle-2 Hole #5
Jimmy Wild – Birdie-2 Hole #8
Chris Okeson – Birdie-4 Hole #18
