The Northern Ohio PGA Section Foundation Scholarships are $10,000 scholarships awarded to two high school seniors living in Northern Ohio to further their education. Since 2020, the Northern Ohio PGA has awarded almost $100,000 in scholarships to juniors at higher education institutions.
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of community service, academics, outstanding character and demonstrated financial need. Individuals who are permanent residents of Northern Ohio, past or current members of a golf organization (PGA Jr. League, Northern Ohio PGA Junior Tour, Ohio Girls Golf Foundation, etc.), hold a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, and plan to enroll as a full-time student at an accredited college or university in the United States, are eligible to apply.
This is the fourth year that the Northern Ohio PGA Section Foundation is going to award two local students with a $10,000 scholarship to assist with their college education. The students selected to receive the $10,000 scholarship will receive it in $2,500 increments annually over the course of four years. In order to receive funding each year, additional paperwork including a copy of the student's transcript must be submitted to the NOPGA Section Foundation to ensure the students are performing at an acceptable level.
In 2021, the NOPGA Section Foundation awarded the inaugural scholarships to Ben Ellis and Rachel DiDonato. In 2022, the scholarships were awarded for the second year to Sophia Rosa and Daniel Donegan. Ellis and DiDonato are in their junior years at Siena Heights University and Northern Kentucky University respectively, while Rosa and Donegan are in their sophomore years at Walsh University and Notre Dame University respectively. In 2023, Fletcher Clark and Halle Ellis were awarded scholarships; Clark is currently a freshman at Ohio State University while Ellis is attending Miami University (FL). Last year, Ryan Yoder and Molly McGreal were named the 2024 scholarship recipients and are attending Malone University and Mercyhurst University respectively.

Molly McGreal
Independence, Ohio
McGreal was a four-year letter-winner in golf and swimming at Independence, but she also participated in track and field for the last two years. She was an honor roll student all four years and was inducted into the National Honor Society in 2023 and 2024.
A member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Miss McGreal served as class secretary during her freshman and sophomore years, was the junior class president and the student council vice president in 2024. She also sang in the school chorus and worked as a lifeguard, swimming instructor and baby-sitter.
"I am so honored to receive the NOPGA Foundation Scholarship, which will help me reach my goal of earning a nursing degree while playing collegiate golf at the Division 1 level. I am grateful for the improvements to my golf game, but even more grateful for the life skills that I have learned through playing on the junior tour and interacting with other players, PGA professionals, and coaches. Being awarded this scholarship has shown me that hard work pays off and that I can do anything that I put my mind to. Going forward, I hope to continue to be an ambassador for the game of golf and the NOPGA and to share my learnings with up-and-coming golfers."
-Molly McGreal

Ryan Yoder
Amherst, Ohio
Yoder was Steele’s top player in each of his four years on the golf team, winning eight tournaments and setting numerous school records while earning all-Southwestern Conference honors and being named MVP in 2021. He also spent four years on the basketball team, serving as team captain his senior year, and played freshman baseball.
An honor roll student in seven semesters he was inducted into the National Honor Society in 2022, 2023 and 2024. He also was involved in coaching Amherst’s seventh and eighth graders in the city recreation basketball league and served as an assistant coach for the Amherst 13-and-under Youth Travel Baseball team. He volunteered in the non-profit Path and Green Organization, which distributed hygienic products throughout the community and was a group leader in the Grow Point Church youth program, GrowKids.
For the last six years he has given golf lessons to young students with his YoGolf Golf Lessons company founded his own landscaping business.
-Ryan Yoder
For more information on the 2025 Scholarships or Scholarship Day, email Danielle Monas at dmonas@pgahq.com or call the Section Office at (216) 765-1214!