By Tim Rogers, NOPGA Media
Oberlin — Prior to the start of the 56th Assistants Championship conducted by the Northern Ohio Section of the PGA, the question was asked if Michael Balcar would be able to win a fourth title in the last five years, equaling the record mark set by former Westwood Professional Todd Lancaster.
If things go as planned, Balcar, 32, said he hopes to reach Class A status by the end of the year, which would make him eligible to compete in the Northern Ohio PGA Section Professional Championship at Tippecanoe Country Club in 2026.
Balcar, in his sixth year as an assistant at Brandywine Country Club, used a bogey-free, first-round 6-under 66 and the fortitude to rebound from an unfortunate incident early in his final round to shoot even-par 72 at Oberlin Golf Club, winning by one shot over Antonio Bodziony (Chagrin Valley CC) and Alex Treuel (Oberlin GC), both of whom shot 70-69=139.
Balcar’s 66-72=138 finish assured him a spot in the Section’s prestigious Mitchell-Haskell Tour Championship at the end of the month and, more importantly, the opportunity to play in the 49th Assistant PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., in November.
While Bodziony and Treuel finished second, they are ineligible to advance to the national championship as they are still in level one of the program. Players must be in level two of the associate program (“B-8 classification”) or a Class A (“A-8 classification”) to move on. Their spot will be taken by Anthony Panepento (Canterbury GC), who finished at 70-72=142. It marks the second year in a row that Balcar and Panepento will represent the Section in Florida.
Balcar’s opening-round 66 gave him a four-shot lead over Bodziony, Treuel, and Panepento — a cushion he maintained until the 545-yard 17th hole in round two. After a wayward second shot and a complicated ruling, Balcar was assessed a penalty and made double-bogey. His lead vanished, leaving him tied with Bodziony at 5-under.
To his credit, Balcar steadied himself, parring the next four holes with clutch saves. On the 412-yard seventh, his drive found a fairway bunker, and after his second shot hit the lip and fell back into the trap, he blasted to six feet and drained the putt for a critical par.
“The up-and-down was really big,” he said. “I knew I had to make it because I was checking the leaderboard after the double on 17 and saw Antonio and a couple other guys were playing well.”
A smart layup and par on the ninth hole sealed the win. “That was the toughest 90-yard shot,” he admitted, explaining that his ball sat precariously on a divot. “I thought about going over the water, but it really wasn’t worth it.”
Balcar credited the strength of the field for making the victory even more meaningful. “There are a lot of great players in the Section,” he said. “Antonio, Alex, Anthony Panepento, DJ Holub, and many others are really, really good. So, it’s an honor and I feel great about winning this event and being a part of such a great championship. I beat a lot of great players today.”