By Susan Jenior

Staff Writer

PORTAGE COUNTY SENIOR AMATEUR

DOVE FALL (WINDHAM)

Once played in conjunction with the Portage County Amateur, the Senior Portage County Amateur split into a stand-alone tournament in 2011 as the field for both tournaments grew.

Holding two separate tournaments also allowed golfers who loved the competition to compete in both the Amateur and the Senior Amateur.

The 54th Portage County Senior Amateur will tee off at Raccoon Hill Golf Course in Kent on Aug. 24 and conclude at Windmill Lakes Golf Club in Ravenna on Aug. 25.

Divisions include 50-59, 60-69 and 70-and-older.

The champions in 2023 included: Dove Fall of Windham, Dave Peck of Macedonia and Steve Bedell of Brecksville.

KENT STATE WOMEN’S GOLF NOTCHES 25TH STRAIGHT

The Kent State Women’s varsity golf team is perfect.

The Golden Flashes earned their 25th straight Mid-American Conference Championship and remain unbeaten in the history of the league-conference tournaments.

Leon Takagi, sophomore, and Hester Sicking, senior, shared medalist honors, finishing at 6-over-par at the Pinnacle Golf Course in Grove City.

Teammates Veronika Kedronova, Jennifer Gu and Kristen Belden, helped push the Kent State women to the top of the 10-team field with a total plus-45 strokes. Toledo finished second (plus-56) and Northern Illinois third (plus-73).

Next up for the Casey VanDamme-coached team is the Las Vegas regional round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships.

The KSU women earned the No. 10 seed in the Las Vegas Regional, which will begin on May 6.

The top-five teams and the low individual not on an advancing team from each regional site will advance to compete in the national championship May 17-22 at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

KENT STATE MEN

The Golden Flashes are seeking their 29th MAC title at the championship hosted by The Club in Chatham Hills in Westfield, Indiana.

The championships conclude today as Kent State looks to continue their streak of 12 of the last 14 MAC titles.

U.S. KIDS TOURNAMENTS BEGIN

Spring tournaments have started locally for the U.S. Kids — and several Portage County

youths made their mark in the initial tournament at Trumbull Country Club in Warren.

James Morgan earned the runner-up spot in the boys 15-to-18, firing a 76.

BOYS DIVISION

AGE 8: Braxton Hanlon, Aurora, 56, 5th place.

AGE 15-18: James Morgan, North Benton, 76, 2nd place; Gannon Brady, Aurora, 89, 9th place.

GIRLS DIVISION

AGE 13-14: Samantha Morgan, North Benton, 92, 4th place.

57TH PGA PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

The 57th PGA Professional Championship competes at Fields Ranch in Frisco, Tex., beginning today and continues through Wednesday.

Qualifying to compete in the national championship are five professionals from the Northern Ohio PGA, earning the spots at the local qualifier in 2023.

Among the five are Rob Moss, head professional at the Pepper Pike Club and Kent State University alumnus.

This is the 13th time that Moss has qualified for the national event.

Additional professionals qualifying at Tippecanoe Country Club in Canfield last year include: Jason Carbone, Canterbury Golf Club; Steve Mulcahy, Shawnee Country Club and Jaysen Hansen, Toledo Country Club.

LOCALS AT COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

TYLER PENDERGAST

In addition to the Mid-American Conference Championships, conferences across the country are concluding their seasons and preparing for post-conference play in the NCAA tournaments.

The Horizon League includes Cleveland State and Youngstown State, among seven teams.

Dillon Pendergast, of Mogadore, competes for Cleveland State.

Finishing fourth among the golfers at Cleveland State, Pendergast, two-time Player of the Year in the Portage Trail Conference, concluded his season in 34th place in the conference tournament with rounds of 74-82-73.

The Horizon League Tournament, competed at El Campeon Golf Course, Howey-In-The-Hills, Fla., saw Wright State earn the championship and earn a spot in the NCAA Regionals.

SYDNIE LEAVERY

Sydnie Leavery, standout alumnus for the Kent Roosevelt girls golf team, now plays for La Salle University in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

The golf championships for the nine-team conference were competed at Disney’s Golf Course in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

LaSalle completed their season with a ninth-place finish, falling just short of Siena College.

Leavery, in addition to being named to the MAAC Conference women’s golf All-Academic Team, concluded her sophomore season in fifth place on her team at the MAAC championships.

SCHEDULES

PORTAGE COUNTY AMATEURS

Register at host golf courses, online at pcagolf.net or via mail. For info call/text 330-206-9083, email golffam2@gmail.com, or log onto the Portage County Amateurs Facebook page.

JULY 21—10^th Portage County Kids Amateur, Sunny Hill Golf Course, Brimfield.

JULY 22-23—18^th Matt Mishler Portage County Junior Amateur, Sunny Hill Golf Course, Brimfield and Windmill Lakes Golf Course, Ravenna.

JULY 27-28—94^th Portage County Amateur, Windmill Lakes Golf Course, Ravenna and Raccoon Hill Golf Club, Kent.

AUG. 24-25—54^th Portage County Senior Amateur, Windmill Lakes Golf Course, Ravenna and Raccoon Hill Golf Club, Kent.

TOURNAMENTS AND EVENTS

(To add an event to the calendar, text or call 330-206-9083 or email golffam2@gmail.com.)

JUNIOR EVENTS

(Register for NOPGA Junior Events at northernohiopga.com)

MAY 5—NOPGA Junior Series, Trumbull Country Club, Warren.

MAY 28—NOPGA Junior Series at Lake Forest Country Club, Hudson.

JULY 15-16—48^th Ohio Junior Girls Championship, Marion Country Club, Marion. (WOSGA.org)

JULY 22—Ohio Girls Golf Foundation High School Showcase, Avon Oaks Country Club, Avon. (Sponsored by NOPGA)

JULY 15-16—NOPGA 36 Hole Jr. Series, Windmill Lakes, Ravenna.

JULY 30-31—41^st NOPGA Jr. Tour Championship, Club Walden, Aurora.

OUTINGS AND TOURNAMENTS

MAY 5—Twin Lakes Spring Two-Player Scramble, Fairways at Twin Lakes, Kent. (330-673-7888)

MAY 11—2^nd Annual Chubbs Peterson Memorial Golf Classic Scramble, Olde Dutch Mill, Lake Milton. (330-654-4100)

MAY 26—Waterloo Boosters Golf Outing, Paradise Lake Golf Course, Suffield. (Todd Wise 330-842-9279).

JUNE 1—The Golden Flash Bash, Fairways at Twin Lakes, Kent. (KentStateSports.com/FlashBash).

JUNE 8 -10—Northeast Ohio Amateur Championship, Windmill Lakes Golf Club, Ravenna. (Register at Northeast Ohio Golf Association at www.noga.org)

AUG. 4—Nancy Cannon Memorial Golf Outing, Paradise Lake Golf Course, Suffield.

WOMEN

JUNE 6-8—Ohio Women’s Open, Heatherwoode Golf Club, Springboro. (ohiowomensopen.com)

JUNE 8-10—Northeast Ohio Amateur Championship, Windmill Lakes Golf Club, Ravenna. (Register at www.noga.org)

JULY 22-25—101^st Women’s Ohio State Amateur Championship, Belmont Hills Country Club, Clairsville (WOSGA.org)

JULY 22-25—8^th Women’s Mid-Amateur, Belmont Hills Country Club, St. Clairsville. (WOSGA.org)