Brian Vincelette hits a smooth tee shot to the par-3 17th hole at Turkeyfoot on Saturday

There were no crazy-super-fantastic shots. No hooting and hollering for a holed chip-in or a big eagle putt. Just solid, steady golf, the minimizing of mistakes — and a clutch little pitch shot at the last to get the job done.

Playing in the third-to-last group of the day, the team of Aaron Crewse and Brian Vincelette knew exactly what score they needed to post to win the tournament, and they accomplished the goal — right on the number.

Vincelette and Crewse turned the front side at 3-under par, making four birdies to offset a bogey at the fourth. Checking in at the turn, the low posted score for the day was a 4-under par 67; no team went real deep in the scoring, as the hole locations were tough and there was just enough wind and rough to make birdies a challenge for everyone. So the Crewse/Vincelette team knew exactly what they needed to do.

Vincelette birdied the 10th and things looked pretty good for the pair. Then a bit of momentum seemed to disappear, as the twosome failed to convert on a series of great birdie opportunities at 11, 12, 14 and 16. But they offset those missed opportunities with some clutch pars at 13 and 15, and came to the last hole needing a birdie to win.

Crewse hit a solid tee shot and ran his second up short left of the green, about 30 yards in the rough. Vincelette hammered his drive on 18 and the pair decided he should take a run at the green. But a slight pull sent the ball onto the cart path, bouncing under a bush on the 14th tee. Birdie was not assured.

Vincelette whacked out from under that bush using the turned-over toe of his long putter (a great shot, actually), but still had a tough up-and-down just to save par.

After watching Vincelette hit, Crewse calmly walked down to his ball, flopped his pitch up onto the green, and watched as it took a bounce, a swooping left-to-right roll, and came to rest 4-inches on the backside of the hole, almost going in. Victory.

The teams of Mark Guadagni / Jim Durr and Joe Swiatkowski / Chris Reuscher tied for second place, finishing one shot back at 4-under par 67.

In the Senior Division, veteran Turkeyfoot players Joe Hedrick and Jim Tarter roared back on the inward nine with sizzling a score of 31 to post a strong total score of 7-under par 65 to nip Ron Bell and Jim Cea by a single shot.

Cea and Bell ripped up the front nine with a 32, but couldn’t hold off Tarter and Hedrick at the close.

Tom Stack and Fred Martin made an amazing comeback of their own, turning the front side in 1-over par but then shooting a sizzling 30 on the back nine to finish alone in third place at 5-under par.

Complete results and skins for each division below.

The next event on the 2012 ADGA schedule is the 4-Man Scramble at Barberton Brookside Golf Course on Saturday, May 26th. To enter, see ADGAgolf.com.
 

FINAL RESULTS: 2012 Akron District Golf Association 2-Man Better Ball
Turkeyfoot Lake Golf Course, Green, Ohio
Saturday, May 5, 2012 | Par 71 (Par 72 Seniors)

- The Akron District Golf Association kicks off their 2012 season with the Parke H. Thornton 2-Man Better Ball at Turkeyfoot this Saturday, May 5th. There are already 50 teams registered and the entry deadline is Wednesday, May 2 at 10 pm, so the field will be full-sized and highly-competitive. Should be a shoot-out;

- The Cleveland Metroparks Golf Division also gets rolling this coming Saturday with their 2012 Spring Tour, starting with the 4-M Scramble at Sleepy Hollow. The signup deadline passed last Sunday, but you might still call John Fiander at Sleepy Hollow and beg for entry if you want to play;

- And finally, this Sunday, May 6th, the Pine Hills Spring 3-M Cash Scramble will be played once again in Hinckley. Should be a big, strong pro-am field for that one, so get your entry in today.

Details on all of these events and many more can be found in the Northeast Ohio Golf Tournament Calendar…

Once again in 2012, the ADGA will offer a Players Membership. The cost of membership is $50.00. While membership is not required to enter and compete in ADGA events, only ADGA members receive Ungvary Cup Points and Golfer of the Year qualifying points. Members also have the opportunity to obtain points in certain non-ADGA events.

The 2012 tournament schedule features five regular season events, as well as our season-ending invitational, the ADGA Golfer of the Year. Yet again, the Golfer of the Year event will be contested over three days at Firestone Country Club. Top earners in the Golfer of the Year points races will be offered a chance to compete in this premium event.

Senior Membership will also be offered in 2012. Members (and non-member tournament participants) at least 50 years of age will have the opportunity to compete in the Senior Division. For team events, both players must be at least 50 years of age prior to Saturday,May 5th, 2012, to be eligible.

Payouts and Points remain high for 2012 to make our events more appealing than other tournaments. As in 2012, the amount of the 1st through 10th place is established prior to the event with depth of payouts dependent on the size of the field. For individual events, first place ties are decided by sudden-death playoffs immediately after completion of play and continuing until the tie is broken, balance of finishing positions are split as necessary. Team event first place ties split the corresponding place.

As in 2011, ADGA Members will receive Ungvary Cup and GOY Points in select non-ADGA events. These points are only open to ADGA Members and will be awarded at the completion of each tournament. Points will be awarded in order of finish among Player Member participants. Points will be awarded in both the junior and senior players divisions.

Don’t miss out on your opportunity to get an official USGA Handicap Index. The ADGA offers this service through the GHIN Handicap Program in cooperation with the Northern Ohio Golf Association (NOGA). This service enables you to post your scores throughout the season either at the facility you play or over the Internet. The Handicap Fee for 2012 is $20. Click Here to register!

Join the ADGA in 2012 for northern Ohio’s premier amateur golf competition!

Jim Krivanek gets the GOY trophy from Dave Chapple, while Tim Davis presents to Senior Jim Cea

FINAL RESULTS: AKRON DISTRICT GOLF ASSN
2011 GOLFER OF THE YEAR TOURNAMENT
RD1: Firestone Country Club West Course – Par 70
RD2: Firestone Country Club North Course – Par 72
RD3: Firestone Country Club South Course – Par 70
Sept 30 – October 2, 2011

SKINS ROUND THREE:
Main Division – $40.00 ea.
Thomas # 1
Mallette # 4
Peterson # 11
Trier # 17

Senior Division – $25.00 ea.
Cea #-3
Recht #-6
Wilson #-9
Cea #-12
Spino #13
Recht #16
Tarter #17
Seever #18
 

SKINS ROUND TWO:
Main Division – $35.00 ea
#1 Crewse
#7 Beal
#9 Beal
#14 Crewse
#18 Peterson

Seniors Division – $40.00 ea
#2 Hedrick
#8 Recht
#12 Davis
#13 Bell
#15 Lahnan
 

SKINS ROUND ONE:
Main Division – $75.00 ea.
Steve Feist (3) #5
Sean Hunka (3) #15
Pete Skirpstas (2) #17

Senior Division – $40.00 ea.
Tom Seever (3) #6
Larry Lahnan (4) #9 & (3) #11
Joel Recht (3) #10
Fred Miller (3) #15

The entry fee for the Golfer of the Year event is $195 and includes all three days of golf, carts, range, event entry fee and food — an incredible deal for three rounds at a nationally-recognized venue.

There will be optional (and extra) cash and skins pots available as well.

The following letter provided by ADGA Director Tim Davis outlines the GOY event format and each player’s entry requirements to confirm his spot in the field:

The Akron District Golf Association has had another outstanding year. The numbers were up in all of our tournaments this year.

I need to say thank you for all the continued financial support of area businesses: InfoCision, Lanning’s Restaurant, House of LaRose, Golf Galaxy, Edgar’s Restaurant, Fleming’s Steakhouse, Dr. Jeff Mallette, Foxy Golf, and the Printers Devil. Without your contributions it would make things difficult for our organization to survive.

Thanks also goes out to all of the area golf courses and golf merchants for continuous support of the ADGA throughout all the years.

Lastly and most importantly, thanks to all of you, the members of the ADGA, for your continued support for one of the longest running golf organizations in the state.

The points list for the Golfer of the Year are finally official. The top 24 and ties in both the Senior and the Regular Divisions automatically qualify for the 54-hole tournament at Firestone Country Club:

Friday Sept. 30, 2011 – West Course, 8:00 a.m. starting time
Sat. Oct. 1, 2011 – North Course, 12:00 p.m. starting time
Sun. Oct. 2, 2011 – South Course, 12:00 p.m. starting time

I need confirmation from each player who is planning to play that weekend by phone (330-608-2096), or by email by Saturday, September 24th at 6:00 p.m.

If I don’t receive confirmation from any player in the top 24 by Sept 24th, I will start working my way down the points list to secure another player for that spot.

The Northern Ohio PGA has donated one spot for the 2012 Ohio Open and one spot for the 2012 Ohio Senior Open for the winners in each division, another incentive to play and play well in the Golfer of the Year!

Congratulation to the top 24 in both divisions; see you at Firestone!

– Tim Davis

2011 ADGA POINTS LIST & GOLFER OF THE YEAR ELIGIBILITY

The top 24 below in each division are automatically eligible; the top 30 are listed so players past the initial 24 are aware of their standings should any of the 24 not commit by the deadline.

The threesome finished at 12-under par 130 in the shamble format (the best tee shot is selected like a scramble, but from there the players finish the hole on their own ball and two of three scores count for the team). That score was good for a two shot victory over the team of Carl Albright, Mike Riley and Lucas Murray, who won two skins worth $150 each to add some heft to the haul of their second place prize total.

In the Senior Division, the formidable veteran team of Jim Cea, Ron Bell and Fred Miller posted a solid 10-under par 132 to win by two shots over three teams. The winners also took three skins worth $40 each, a third of the available skins money.

Complete results below.

The updated ADGA Player of the Year totals will be posted to the ADGA website soon. The 3-M Shamble is the last ‘regular season’ event run by the ADGA until the Player of the Year tournament at Firestone September 30th – October 2nd, but points can still be earned for that event through the upcoming Ohio Publinx at Seven Hills, the Summit County Am and the Senior Summit County Am.
 

FINAL RESULTS: 2011 Akron Distric Golf Association 3-Man Shamble
Chippewa Golf Club, Doylestown, Ohio, Par 71 – Saturday, July 16th, 2011

The rough was thick and wet and the fairways were soaked in spots, but the greens were in fantastic shape given all of the rain during the previous two days. The long-hitting twosome of Krivanek and Skirpstas took advantage of those challenging conditions to edge out the teams of Dave Oates / Nick Lambos and Jon Lenton / Mike Heim.

In the Senior Division, Fred Miller and Larry Lahnan followed up their winning effort at the Ungvary Memorial a week ago with another first place finish in the ADGA better ball. Lahnan and Miller posted a sizzling 8-under par 64 to nip ADGA Director Tim Davis and his partner Tom Seever by one shot.

Complete results below. Updated 2011 Player of the Year points lists will be posted here soon: Main Division | Senior Division

The next event on the 2011 ADGA schedule is the 3-Man Shamble on Saturday, July 16th at Chippewa Golf Club in Doylestown; entry details here.

FINAL RESULTS: 2011 Akron District Golf Association
Nick Lazor Memorial 2-Man Better Ball Tournament
Saturday, June 26, 2011, Barberton Brookside Golf Club – Par 72

FINAL RESULTS: 2011 ADGA / SCAGA STROKE PLAY
Rd 1 – Raintree Golf Club, Uniontown – Par 72
Rd 2 – Rosemont Country Club, Fairlawn – Par 71
Saturday and Sunday, June 4-5, 2011

TOURNAMENT DIVISION:

SKINS: Sunday at Rosemont $65 ea
#3 Score 3 Crewse, Aaron
#5 Score 3 Grosso, Jim
#9 Score 3 Grosso, Jim
#10 Score 2 Essik, Richard
#11 Score 3 Clay, Josh
#15 Score 3 Loomis, Rob
#16 Score 3 Yacovazzi, Anthony

SKINS: Saturday at Raintree $90 ea
#2 Score 3 Braunlich, William
#8 Score 2 Braunlich, William
#10 Score 3 Kabasky, John
#14 Score 3 Tornabene, Joe
#16 Score 2 Mallette, Jeff

.
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SENIOR DIVISION:

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SENIOR SKINS: Sunday at Rosemont $84 ea
#6 Score 3 Miller, Ron
#13 Score 3 Miller, Fred
#17 Score 2 Spino, Sam

SENIOR SKINS: Saturday at Raintree $36 ea
#2 Score 3 Thompson, Tom
#3 Score 3 Cea, Jim
#4 Score 2 Martin, Fred
#6 Score 3 VanNostran, Doug
#12 Score 3 Recht, Joel
#14 Score 3 Miller, Ron
#18 Score 3 Spino, Sam

The ADGA’s Golfer of the Year is a year-long ranking system combined with a season-ending invitational tournament. Throughout the year, players are awarded points for competing not only in each of the ADGA’s events, but for other top local amateur tournaments as well (like the Ungvary, Summit County Am and several others). See the GOY event list here.

Late this fall, the top 24 players in each division will be invited to a season-ending tournament; in October 2011, that event will be conducted as a 54-hole individual stroke play tournament at all three of the courses at Firestone Country Club in Akron.

The Golfer of the Year points list has a main division for players under 50 years of age and a senior division for players 50+. The current GOY list is posted on the ADGA website. The 2010 ADGA Golfer of the Year was Mike Simpson.

The Ohio Open and Ohio Senior Open are conducted each year by the Northern Ohio PGA. David Griffith, Tournament Director for the Northern Ohio Section, confirmed on Friday that the ADGA’s Golfer of the Year winner in each division will earn a big added bonus in 2011:

- The ADGA’s Golfer of the Year points list winner for 2011 will receive a fully-paid exemption into the 2012 MinuteMenJobs.com Ohio Open, which will be held mid-July at Fox Meadow Country Club and Weymouth Country Club, both in Medina;

- The ADGA’s Senior Golfer of the Year points list winner for 2011 will receive a fully-paid exemption into the 2012 MinuteMenJobs.com Ohio Senior Open, which will be held Firestone Country Club’s West Course in Akron in early May.