By Tim Rogers, NOPGA Media

CANFIELD — Victories come in all varieties.

There is your expected victory as opposed to your upset victory. You’ve also got your moral victory and your landslide victory, which we all know is the irreconcilable of your narrow victory.

We can’t forget the gratifying victory, the well-earned victory, and the shallow victory. We’ve all heard of the bittersweet victory, like when you beat your little brother or your best friend.

Any champion will tell you there is no such thing as an easy victory.

One way or another, Jaysen Hansen experienced practically all those varieties on Wednesday when he capped three days of terrific golf and won the coveted Northern Ohio PGA Professional Championship for the second time with a near-flawless final-round 69 for a 54-hole score of 7-under 200 at Tippecanoe Country Club.

Hansen, the head professional at Toledo Country Club who last won this event in 2020, was the only player in the field of 56 (28 after Tuesday’s cut) to shoot three consecutive sub-par rounds over Tippecanoe’s challenging 6,902 yards, posting scores of 71-69-69.

This was no fluke. Hansen beat a strong field and a stronger golf course that yielded just 15 sub-par rounds out of 168. He made twice as many birdies (14) as bogeys (7) and recorded no doubles.

Jim Troy, instructor at The Golf Dome, carded the second-lowest score of the event with a final-round 67 and finished second (75-70-67=212). Troy, a three-time champion, edged Anthony Panepento of Canterbury Golf Club (76-67-70=213). Mike Stone, Director of Instruction at Belmont Country Club and the 2019 winner, finished fourth (72-73-69=214), while Mark Sierak of Optimus Golf rounded out the top five (71-73-72=216).

By virtue of their finish, all five qualified for the 58th PGA Professional Championship, to be held April 26-29, 2026, at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon.

Hansen, 46, admitted this win carried special weight. Balancing his responsibilities as head professional at TCC with personal challenges, he described the week as a much-needed escape.

“This was like a vacation from all that’s going on around me,” he said. “I needed a break.”

Starting Wednesday’s round with a three-shot lead, Hansen played steady, smart golf. Four birdies and a single bogey secured his victory and the $7,500 winner’s share. “With the lead, I just tried to play smart, to the fat part of the green, and make two putts. I knew everyone would have to come and get me,” Hansen said.

Neither Troy nor Panepento could mount a strong enough charge. Troy’s birdie run cut the deficit, but Hansen’s consistent play down the stretch sealed the win.

As a multiple NOPGA Player of the Year with numerous titles, Hansen called this one of his greatest accomplishments. “Outside of making it to the PGA Championship in 2017 and 2018, and considering all I’ve been through this year, this is the biggest,” he said.

A big win indeed — Hansen’s second Section Championship and one of his most meaningful.

Ohio Cup Update

The Professional Championship (also known as the Section Championship) was the final event to determine the Regular Division NOPGA Team for the upcoming 29th annual Ohio Cup Matches against the Southern Ohio PGA in October.

The Regular Division Team (nine players plus one captain’s pick by Mitch Camp) now includes:

  • Jaysen Hansen (Toledo Country Club)

  • Jim Troy (The Golf Dome)

  • Anthony Panepento (Canterbury Golf Club)

  • Randy Dietz (Windmill Golf Center)

  • Mark Sierak (Optimus Golf)

  • Nick Gustin (Erie Shores Golf Course)

  • Cory Kumpf (Brookside Country Club)

  • Adam Lewicki (Portage Country Club)

  • Nick Paez (GolfTec)

  • Captain’s pick to be announced

The Senior Division Team will be finalized after the Northern Ohio PGA Senior Section Championship at Chagrin Valley in two weeks.