By Susan Jenior

Staff Writer

PORTAGE COUNTY GOLFERS AT THE TOP

The final state golf tournament of the OHSAA season competed Monday and Tuesday at NCR Country Club in Kettering. Golfers in the Division I state tournament played the 6,772-yard fairways to a par of 70 for the event.

It was a cold, rainy weekend for the golfers in Division I, not like conditions golfers had played in throughout the summer. But the state tournament has a tendency to bring out the best in the athletes.

When all 12 teams and 12 individuals had turned in their scorecards and verified the OHSAA scoring app for their pair of 18-hole rounds, it was Liam Curtis of Kent Roosevelt, a senior, who earned runner-up medalist.

Curtis, playing as an individual, shot rounds of 71-73 for a 4-over-par 144 that was only two strokes shy of the medalist, Chris Pollak, playing for Archbishop Hoban, the tournament champion.

Pollak is from Aurora, making the top of the individual leaderboard an all-Portage County affair over the 72-player field that represented the best in the state of Ohio.

LIAM CURTIS

Some of the individuals at the state tournament have taken lessons their entire life and parents have pushed them to be the best.

LIAM CURTIS

For the Curtis family with Liam, the runner-up in the tournament, and his father, Ben Curtis at his side as the Rough Riders coach, it is their family sport.

Liam Curtis has verbally committed to play golf for the outstanding Golden Flashes college program, teams both his father and mother, Ben and Candace Curtis, are familiar with having both competed for Kent State.

Golf is fun and the better you play, the more fun it is.

That is the case for the senior at Kent Roosevelt, who has now advanced to the OHSAA state dance two straight years in a row, finishing seventh his junior year and climbing the leaderboard to second this, his senior season.

Parents that play the game realize how difficult it is and like the Curtis family, are extremely proud of their son without regard to where he ended up on the leaderboard.

But runner-up medalist at the biggest tournament of the season is definitely a moment that makes a golfer proud of himself and his parents proud of him.

In 2023, when Liam was headed to state, he said his dad helps him and is always available when he needs to work on a specific part of his game.

Liam’s solid play allowed him to ultimately repeat as a member of the All-Ohio team for Division I.

Curtis’ rounds over 36 holes included nine bogeys and five birdies on the long fairways at NCR Country Club.

This was the first season the Division-I tournament was at the country club in Kettering. It was a change to beautiful courses like Firestone Country Club for the Division II and the Division-I course near Dayton that offered the golfers outstanding conditions even with the rain and bone-chilling cold that greeted them all weekend.

Liam’s play was a continuation of his memorable senior season that included Player of the Year honors in the Suburban League’s American Division, earning his way to that top spot over four tournaments.

CHRIS POLLAK

CHRIS POLLAK

Chris Pollak, a senior this season on the Division-I champion Hoban Knights, is an Aurora resident. He grew up playing in the junior programs at Barrington Golf Club and has helped Hoban become the best team in the state this season.

Pollak fired rounds of 71-71 for a 142 that included an eagle on his final day of competition on the Par-4, 423-yard sixth hole.

BOYS GOLF SCOREBOARD

OHSAA DIVISION I STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

(At NCR Country Club, Kettering – Par 70)

TEAM STANDINGS: Archbishop Hoban 595, Olentangy Liberty 612, St. Xavier 620, Dublin Jerome 622, Hudson 631, Thomas Worthington 635, University School 642, Anderson 648, Archbishop Moeller 656, Medina 661, St. Francis de Sales 686, Sheridan 722.

MEDALISTS: Chris Pollak (Aurora), Archbishop Hoban 71-71 142; Liam Curtis, Kent Roosevelt 71-73 144.