Ohio Am golf tourney might not return until 2019

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By Bucky Albers, Contributing Writer 10:59 PM Monday, July 11, 2011

DAYTON — The Ohio Amateur Championship is being played in Dayton for the second time in three years, but it is not likely to return to the Gem City until 2019.

Moraine Country Club has agreed to host the 2019 event — keeping itself on a 10-year rotation — but no other Dayton club is presently in discussions with the Ohio Golf Association about a future tournament.

“We haven’t heard from any of the Dayton clubs about hosting any of our events,” said former OGA president Hugh Wall III of Dayton, now an emeritus board member after yielding his board position in April to local orthodontist Dr. Sam King.

Jim Popa, executive director of the OGA, said Monday that the tournament will be held next year at Brookside Country Club in Columbus and the 2013 event has been awarded to Brookside Country Club of Canton.

The only other certain site for the tournament before 2019 is the Sylvania Country Club, which will host the 2017 tournament while celebrating its 100th anniversary.

“It’s our hope that we can work Coldstream or some other Cincinnati club in there somewhere,” Popa said. “We haven’t been to Cincinnati in a long time.”

The last time the Ohio Am was played in the Cincinnati area was in 2001 when it was hosted by The Heritage Club in Mason.

Brother act: This week’s field includes brothers Caleb and Jesse Chiero of Westerville. Caleb Chiero, 21, attends Ohio Wesleyan University. Jesse, who is 24, attended Toledo University.

Oldest and youngest: The oldest player among the 144 is 67-year-old Lynn Martin of Findlay. Lynn is the father of former PGA Tour pro Doug Martin.

The youngest player is 14-year-old Justin Wick of Upper Arlington, who plays at Brookside Country Club in Columbus.

1992 champion returns: Randy Reifers of Columbus, who won the 1992 Ohio Am at NCR, is back for another try at the age of 63. Reifers, who also won the 1986 tournament at Coldstream in Cincinnati, is exempt from qualifying, a privilege given all former champions.

“It’s nice to have our past champions come back and play,” Popa said.

Only two of the last 10 champions — Robert Gerwin (2001) and Michael Bernard (2010) — are in the field, however. Most of the other recent winners have turned professional.

Club play continues: Unlike most clubs, NCR has two golf courses, so the members can play the North course while the South is used for the Ohio Am through Friday.

“The great thing about coming here is that the members aren’t displaced,” Popa said.

About the 1974 champ:Kim Heisler of Aurora won the 1974 Ohio Am at NCR when he was a junior playing on the Florida State University golf team.

A son of former Cleveland Browns assistant coach Fritz Heisler, Kim last played in the Ohio Am in 2004 at Columbus Country Club. He has not maintained a handicap since 2008, but he was still almost a scratch player when he quit.

Matt Lefferts of the Ohio Golf Association staff said Heisler competed regularly for the club championship at Aurora Country Club.

In the first group: Nick Scott, a Northmont High School graduate, is in the first group off the No. 1 tee at 8 a.m. today with Andrew Dorn of West Chester and Mark Thomas of Jackson Township. Scott will be attending Kent State University and playing on the golf team this fall.

Defending champion Michael Bernard, a senior-to-be at Wayne High School, is in the 9:50 threesome with Pete Samborsky II of Dayton and Joe Hurtuk of Bedford, who won the recent Ohio Mid-Amateur Championship in a playoff with Jeffrey Scohy of Bellbrook. Scohy is in the 9:20 group.

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