Dave Sotka of Chardon captured the 2007 Greater Cleveland Skins Championship at Pleasant Hills Golf Course. Sotka won $992 with 13 skins for the year, and took the “Thompson Cup”. This was Sotka’s first Greater Cleveland Skins championship.
Sotka, a member at Pleasant Hills stated, “I hit a lot more quality shots this year and capitalized when I needed to.” Sotka also finished tied for fourth in this years’s Greater Cleveland Amateur held at Sleepy Hollow in Brecksville.
Rounding out the top 5 for the season were Scott Neill, also of Pleasant Hills; Steve Blackburn, the 2006 Greater Cleveland Skins Champion from Willowick; John Niedzialek, former Greater Cleveland and Canton Amateur Champion from Concord; and Mark Foss, former Lake County Open Amateur Champion.
Players from Northeast Ohio competed at four area courses during the year culminating in the season ending event at Pleasant Hills. In 2007, Powderhorn, Pleasant Hills, Fowlers Mill, and Thunderhill hosted the Greater Cleveland Skins Game on Thursdays throughout the summer.
Players interested in competing in next year’s competition starting in April should email John Niedzialek, Tournament Director at jn1920@yahoo.com for details.
2007 Greater Cleveland Skins Game Season-Long Final Results
| 1 | Dave Sotka | $992 |
| 2 | Scott Neill | $795 |
| 3 | Steve Blackburn | $485 |
| 4 | John Niedzialek | $478 |
| 5 | Mark Foss | $406 |
| 6 | Nick Anagnost | $353 |
| 7 | Ed Van Hoy | $274 |
| 8 | Rob Schustrich | $240 |
| 9 | Mike Paolillo | $227 |
| 10 | Geoff Nicely | $210 |
| 11 | Nick Cerri | $197 |
| 12 | Matt White | $196 |
| 13 | Tom Evans | $183 |
| 14 | Phil Metz | $180 |
| 15 | Gary Strong | $177 |
| 16 | Bryan Richardson | $140 |
| 17 | Bob Sotka | $116 |
| 18 | Joe Cybulski | $115 |
| 19 | Sam Corabi | $114 |
| 20 | Phil Bojc | $91 |
| 21 | Dave Dufala | $83 |
| 22 | John Zook | $80 |
| 23 | Scott Tomko | $75 |
| 24 | George Magas | $67 |
| 25 | Jim Lebzelter | $66 |
| 26 | Clint Paxson | $65 |
| 27 | Mike Angie | $55 |
| 28 | Gary Zehe | $53 |
| 29 | Blaze Tishko | $35 |
| 30 | Paul Kish | $30 |
| 31 | Pat Tyrrell | $30 |
| 32 | Cliff Lawrence | $27 |
| 33 | Marty Giel | $36 |
| 34 | Howard Joiner | $25 |
–Allen Freeman
