The team of Tom Markham and Randy Skorman posted a 4-under par 32 to claim a victory in the better ball format at the Monday Chippewa Scratch League.

Sam Spino and Dave Oates put their fingers in the pot again with yet another skin, to increase their whopping lead in the 2008 season long points list by over $400 each; totals updated here. Complete results below:

Week 14 - 8/18/08: Best Ball - Back Nine 
1st - Markham - Skorman 32  $240.00 GC   $200.00 PP
T2nd - Kracker - Thomas 33    $75.00 GC
T2nd - Freeman - Snyder 33    $75.00 

Skins      
Spino - Oates #10 Eagle  $280.00   
Klline - Kline #11 Eagle  $280.00   

Senior Skins      
Klline - Kline #11 Eagle  $  70.00   
C.Mozingo - Martin #18  $  70.00

– Allen Freeman

Fred Miller of Aurora overcame a double-bogey 7 at the par-5 eighth hole, followed that up with a birdie at the ninth (good for a skin), then posted a 1-under par back nine to win the Championship Golf Association’s stroke play event at the Legacy at Sweetbriar on Sunday. The victory is Miller’s second of the season, as he won the stroke play event at Gleneagles in Twinsburg as well.

Miller shot a 1-over par total of 73 to win by a single shot over Brian Smith of Amherst. Complete results below.

The next event on the CGA schedule is the “Big Skins Blowout” at The Fairways of North Canton on Sunday, September 14th. To enter this skins-only event, visit the CGA website or call 216-556-0219.

FINAL RESULTS, CGA STROKE PLAY EVENT, AUGUST 17, 2008
The Legacy at Sweetbriar, Avon Lake, OH

Miller, Fred 38 - 35 = 73
Smith, Brian 39 - 35 = 74
Angie, Mike 38 - 37 = 75
Brick, Norton 35 - 40 = 75
Sowa, Greg 38 - 37 = 75
Freeman, Al 37 - 39 = 76
Mills, Brandon 37 - 39 = 76
Thompson, Drew 39 - 37 = 76
Okeson, Chris 38 - 39 = 77
Heran, Scott 37 - 41 = 78
Mintz, Mike 37 - 41 = 78
Slife, Bill 46 - 38 = 84
Mooney, Bill 43 - 43 = 86
Jenkins, Jeff 43 - 45 = 88
Sidun, Jim 45 - 43 = 88
Moennich, Sean NC

SKINS:
Brick, Norton (Hole: 2  Score:  3)
Angie, Mike (Hole: 8  Score:  3)
Miller, Fred (Hole: 9  Score:  3)

– Allen Freeman

Everyone has a lucky hole. Mark Foss finds the 12th at Powderhorn Golf Club to his liking: his birdie there held up again for a $149.50 skin.

Geoff Nicely notched the other skin on Thursday with a birdie on the par-3 17th hole, and also took the pin shot there. Nicely takes home $149.50 for his skin plus $45.50 for his pin shot.

Dave Sotka captured the other pin shot on #14 worth $45.50.

Blackburn Jr. still holds on to the season-long lead in the Greater Cleveland Skins Game. He was shut out again this week — after all four of his birdies were tied!

Players have only two more weeks to qualify to play in one of the highest paying tournaments of the year: The Greater Cleveland Shoot-Out. The Shoot-Out, an individual stroke play event, will be held Labor day at Fowlers Mill. This sponsored tournament offers a huge prize! If you want to play on Labor Day and haven’t yet played in two events this season, you only have a two weeks left to do so!

The Skins Game moves to Thunder Hill GC in Madison this Thursday, August 21 starting at 5 p.m.  Green Fees will be $15.00 riding! Please thank the course management for these special green fees to our group. Any players that want to play a “warm up 9 hole round” before the scheduled skins game must call the course first to make such arrangements.

Greater Cleveland Skins Game Leaderboard Through Week 18
1) Steve Blackburn Jr.    $1,253.77
2) Mark Foss                   $1,035.00
3) John Niedzialek          $874.50
4) Paul Kish                      $726.46
5) Geoff Nicely                 $431.50
6) Nick Anagnost             $429.33
7) Mike Angie                 $385.89
8) Dave Sotka                  $340.33
9) Steve Blackburn Sr.   $340.00
10) George Martin            $268.20
11) Brian McGinty            $264.50
12) Russ Rybka                 $201.00
13) Corey Iacofano           $168.66
13) Rob Schustrich           $168.66
15) Garry Zehe                $166.50
16) Jim Lebzelter              $151.83
17)  Josh Krause              $144.83
18) Anthony Maenza        $127.00
19)  Phil Bojc                    $103.50
20) Jeff Ettinger                $84.00
21) John Zook                   $77.00
22) Al Freeman                 $63.00
22) John Distefano            $63.00
24) Dan Lanese                  $45.50
25) Clint Paxson                  $45.50
26) Tom Bond                    $45.50
27) Cliff Lawrence            $36.00
28) Ron Rositani                 $33.00
29) Matt White                   $33.00

– John Niedzialek

The team of Troy Schonover and JP Jones blistered the front nine at Chippewa Golf Club Monday with a sizzling 7-under par 28 in the scramble format to win their first event of the season. The pair began their round with an eagle on the first (skin!) and continued the torrid pace to win by two shots.

Dave Oates and Sam Spino grabbed a share of second place on the night to build on their lead in the season-long points race, updated here.

Dave Petracca holed his second shot on #8 for eagle to grab another of three skins won on the night.

Week 13 Results - 8/11/08:  Scramble - Front Nine  
1st - Schonover - Jones   28   $200.00 Gift Cert   $190.00 Pro Pot
T2nd - Niskanen - Thompson   30   $75.00
T2nd - Oates - Spino   30   $75.00

Skins: $160 ea
Schonover - Jones     #1 Eagle
Brooker - Olney     #3 Eagle
T. Stiller - Petracca     #8 Eagle

Senior Skins: $40 ea
Brooker - Olney     #1 Eagle
Niskanen - Thompson     #6
T. Stiller - Petracca     #8 Eagle

– Allen Freeman

Ben Cavey of Wadsworth and Daniel Metzendorf of Strongsville earned their way to the 2008 United States Mid-Amateur Championship by posting the low rounds of the day at the regional qualifier, a one-over par 73 at the challenging Lake Forest CC in Hudson today.

Four players followed with 74: Brian Sparrow of Chagrin Falls; David Brown of Pittsburgh; Eugene O’Byrne of Massillon; and Mark Telerico of Aurora. In a playoff for the remaining two spots, Sparrow and Brown earned their way into the championship field, and O’Byrne and Telerico are alternates.

The 2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship will be held at Milwaukee Country Club in River Hills, Wisconsin on September 6 - 11.

Complete results for the Northeast Ohio qualifier field are here.

For 71 holes, David Griffith of Broadview Heights played the steadiest of every competitor in the 2008 Greater Cleveland Amateur Championship field. But on the 72nd hole, one swing opened the door to three other players, and Kyle Cobb of Strongsville took advantage.

Griffith came to the final hole at Manakiki at 1-under par for the tournament and two shots in the lead after playing solid golf on a chilly, windy and occasionally wet day. But Griffith pulled his tee shot into the trees along the left of the 18th fairway and lost his ball in the ground cover. He had to return to the tee and suffered a double-bogey at the last, finishing the tournament at 1-over par 217.

2008 Sleepy Hollow course champion Nick Latimer from Kent, playing along side Griffith in the final group, launched his tee shot high and to the right into the trees, and it appeared he suffered the same fate as Griffith. But a marshal spotted his ball high up on the hill, and Latimer slashed it out of the scrub, across the cart path and into the fairway, inside 100 yards. From there he hit a great wedge shot to 3 feet and made the putt for an improbable par, to finish at 217 as well.

In the groups ahead, Cobb and two-time Cleveland Am champ Brad Steven of Concord tied for the low round of the day, each shooting 2-under par 70. Both players made the turn at 1-over par 37 for the front nine, but then both started a run.

Steven made birdie at the difficult tenth hole, then made eagle at the par-5 12th. Cobb, a junior-to-be at Cleveland State, birdied both of the back-to-back par fives at 12 and 13, then had the break of the tournament: a birdie at the par-3 15th from a tee shot that flew well into the wooded hillside left of the green, bounced out, and rolled to just a few inches for a tap-in. Both Steven and Cobb shot 3-under par 33 on the final nine, and a 217 total.

As the four-man playoff started, it began to rain and quickly turned into a downpour. All four players hit their tee shots to the 10th fairway in a deluge. Griffith and Steven went left behind a mound that blocks the green, while Latimer and Cobb found the right rough, but with an open shot. Then play was suspended due to lightning.

After an hour delay, the foursome returned to the 10th fairway, where Griffith and Steven laid up to just outside of 100 yards. Latimer hit his second in the right fringe just above the hole, then Cobb hit a solid shot to the center of the green, about 15 feet left of the hole and straight up the hill.

After misses by the other players, Cobb center-cut his birdie putt and made a small fist pump to claim the 2008 Greater Cleveland Amateur Championship.

A special congratulations to Tom Kochensparger and Mike Raby for conducting a great tournament, and to the Manakiki golf course maintenance staff for the incredible conditioning. The greens were the talk of the players, as they were smooth, rolled close to 11 on the stimp and were in “country club condition”.

. . .

2008 GREATER CLEVELAND AMATEUR GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
FINAL RESULTS, AUGUST 8 - 10
Manakiki Golf Course, Willoughby Hills, Ohio
6,625 Yards, Par 72

– Allen Freeman

David Griffith and Zach Glassman are tied for the lead after two rounds in the 2008 Greater Cleveland Amateur Golf Championship, each posting a 36-hole total of 2-under par 142.

The pair lead Nick Latimer and Matt Heestand by two shots, but ten players are within five shots of the lead. So tomorrow’s final round should be competitive — and the public is welcome to come out and watch.

The biggest move of the day was made by Steve Blackburn Jr., who posted the low round of the day with a 3-under par 69 for a two-day total of 147.

42 players made the cut, coming at 11-over par 155.

Groupings and Starting Times for the final round of the 54-hole championship are posted below scores for the field:

Results After Round 2: Saturday, August 9, 2008
2008 Greater Cleveland Amateur Golf Championship
Manakiki Golf Course, Willoughby Hills, Ohio
6,625 Yards, Par 72

– Tom Kochensparger, Mike Raby & Allen Freeman

Zach Glassman of Highland Heights grabbed the first round lead of the 2008 Greater Cleveland Amateur Golf Championship at Manakiki GC today, posting a score of 2-under par 70 to lead by one.

Glassman leads a trio of players who posted 1-under par scores of 71: David Griffith, Matt Heestand and Scott Saari.

The Round One leader has been playing well of late; last week Thursday, Glassman grabbed a spot in the 2008 U.S. Amateur Championship at Pinehurst later this month by surviving a playoff in the regional qualifier.

Tee times for the second round follow the scores for the field.

ROUND 1: 2008 CLEVELAND AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Manakiki Golf Course, Willoughby Hills; 6,625 Yards, Par 72

.
– Tom Kochensparger, Mike Raby & Allen Freeman

Brad Wright of Cambridge won the 2008 Ohio Publinx at Cooks Creek GC in Ashville, Ohio, August 5th - 8th, with a 72-hole total of 278. Complete scores are posted here on the OPGA website.

– Allen Freeman

It was a shut out at Pleasant Hills on Thursday: there were eight birdies made but no skins! All the holes were tied and no skin funds were paid out.

Pin shot winners at $33 each were Matt White on #3, Ron Rositani on #5, and Paul Kish on #8.

The leaderboard remains mostly unchanged, with Steve Blackburn Jr. still holding on to the lead of the Greater Cleveland Skins game.

The Skins Game moves to Powderhorn GC this Thursday, Aug. 14 starting at 5 pm.  Green Fees will be $13.00 riding and $6.00 walking. Please thank the course management for these special green fees to our group! Anyone looking to play a “warm up 9 hole round” before the scheduled skins game must call the course first to make such arrangements.

Greater Cleveland Skins Game Leaderboard Through Week 17
1) Steve Blackburn Jr.    $1253.77
2) Mark Foss                   $885.50
3) John Niedzialek          $874.50
4) Paul Kish                      $726.46
5) Nick Anagnost             $429.33
6) Mike Angie                 $385.89
7) Steve Blackburn Sr.   $340.00
8) Dave Sotka                  $294.83
9) George Martin            $268.20
10)  Brian McGinty            $264.50
11) Geoff Nicely                 $236.50
12) Russ Rybka                 $201.00
13)Corey Iacofano           $168.66
13) Rob Schustrich           $168.66
15) Garry Zehe                $166.50
16) Jim Lebzelter              $151.83
17)  Josh Krause              $144.83
18) Anthony Maenza        $127.00
19)  Phil Bojc                    $103.50
20) Jeff Ettinger                $84.00
21) John Zook                   $77.00
22) Al Freeman                 $63.00
22) John Distefano            $63.00
24) Dan Lanese                  $45.50
25) Cliff Paxson                  $45.50
26) Tom Bond                    $45.50
27) Cliff Lawrence            $36.00
28) Ron Rositani                 $33.00
29) Matt White                   $33.00

– John Niedzialek