Aurora’s Gracyn Vidovic, who will be a senior this fall at Aurora, won the 16 to 19 age division championship at the Kenny Novak youth golf tournament on Wednesday.
Susan Jenior/Portage Sports

By Susan Jenior

Staff Writer

The PGA tour considers Saturdays moving day during the professional golf tournaments as players often move up or down the leaderboard on the third day of competition.

Junior golfers competing in the prestigious Kenny Novak Championship, hosted by the Northern Ohio PGA, celebrated their own moving day on Wednesday as local golfers shot low scores to claim their spots on the leaderboard among the more than 125 golfers competing.

GIRLS 16-19

Gracyn Vidovic of Aurora, the reigning Ohio Junior Golfers champion, didn’t have to try and move up the leaderboard.

She was already in first place following the first day’s 18 holes.

During the second round, Vidovic distanced herself from the field by four strokes, ending her tournament at even par with rounds of 69 and 75 for the 144 total.

Vidovic will be a senior this year for the Aurora varsity girls team after a sensational junior season that ended at the OHSAA State Tournament.

Adrianna Mineo of Kent ended her tournament in 26th place after back-to-back rounds of 102.

BOYS 14-15

Jacob Rainieri of Mogadore was one of the juniors moving up the leaderboard.

JACOB RAINIERI

Ending the first day in seventh place, on Wednesday, Rainieri fired a 1-under-par 70 to go with his initial 77.

Rainieri shot his way into a tie for second place with Tommy Kinder of Akron.

Rainieri competes for Lake Center Christian in the Portage Trail Conference.

Jax Turner of Kent shot rounds of 75 and 77 for a solid 8-over-par tournament total. Turner earned a tie for seventh place in the Kenny Novak Championship. He will be a freshman for the Kent Roosevelt Rough Riders varsity golf team this year.

AGE DIVISION CHAMPIONS

Competing in five different age divisions, juniors who were also winners included:

Sarah Vojtko of Stow, a freshman this season, firing 1-over-par for the tournament, winning the Girls 11-15 age division;

Cayden Boyd of Concord Township and Silas Kirkpatrick of Clinton tied at the top of the leaderboard each finishing at 1-under-par in the Boys 16-19.

Mason Beatty of Norwalk, retaining his first place finish on Tuesday, carding rounds of 76-78 for 154 strokes to take home the championship in the Boys 11-13 age division.

JUNIOR SEASON CONCLUDED

The Northern Ohio PGA concluded their junior season with the Kenny Novak Championship with only a few remaining Collegiate Series tournaments remaining on the schedule.