BALCAR WINS THIRD NOPGA ASSISTANTS TITLE

By Tim Rogers, NOPGA Media

MASSILLON: When Michael Balcar hits a golf ball it goes a long way, longer than hit by most of his contemporaries in the Northern Ohio Section of the Professional Golfers Association.

How long was Balcar on Tuesday when he won the 55th NOPGA National Rental Car Assistants Championship for the third time in the last four years at Shady Hollow Country Club?

Oh, he was long, prodigiously long, frighteningly long. Longer than an airport runway with some drives hanging in the air longer than the time it takes the Ohio State marching band to make an entrance.

His drives even sound long. If they had an odor they would smell long. When driver meets ball the sound it makes sounds like a golf cart landing after being pushed off the roof of a two-story building.

Probably the only guy in the Section capable of matching Balcar – and even out-distancing him at times — is Pepper Pike assistant Sean McGuire.

“Sean got me at the long-drive at Brookside earlier this summer,” said Balcar, a Toledo native and Cleveland State graduate. “He hit it 333 on the middle stripe. I think I hit it 327.”

There was no getting by Balcar by anyone on Tuesday as the 31-year-old assistant at Brandywine Country Club covered 36 holes in 65-68=133, 11-under and a three-shot victory over Blake Sattler (67-69=136) and 41 others.

It marked Balcar’s third victory in the last four years in this event. McGuire prevented it from being four-for-four when he defeated Balcar in a playoff last year at Avon Oaks. Westwood Country Club’s Todd Lancaster won four outright titles – 2001, 2004, 2007, 2009 – to lead everyone.

Balcar and Canterbury assistant Anthony Panepento (70-71=141) will be the NOPGA’s qualifiers to the PGA’s 48th National Car Rental Assistants Championship, to be held November 14-17 in Port St. Lucie.

Sattler, who is having arguably the best overall season of anyone in the Section with two wins and five top-10 finishes, is ineligible for the national event as his classification is as a teaching professional and not an assistant golf professional.

Balcar, the 2023 Ohio Open champion, overtook Sattler in the 2024 Associate Player of the Year point standings with his win, and said his victory on Tuesday was something special.

“It means a lot,” he said after making just two bogeys over the 36 holes while pouring in 11 birdies and one eagle. “The tee sheet in this event carried players at a very high level. You have to bring your A-game to win.”

Balcar brought his A-game to Shady Hollow. That much was evident when he laid a back-nine, 6-under 30 on the field in his first round. It was highlighted by an eagle-2 on the 17th hole, shortened to 265 yards (from 375) because of Shady’s renovation project. He hit a high-arching draw to about five feet with a 2-iron and made the putt that got him to 7-under.

“That was my best shot of the day,” he said with a wide smile. “I’ll remember that one for a long time.”

He started his final 18 holes on the 10th and birdied the 515-yard 12th, a nod to his length as he played Shady’s eight par-5’s in five-under. He closed his round with his final birdie on the 497-yard ninth with a huge drive that left him just 158 yards to the hole. He knocked his second shot to 10 feet for an easy two-putt.

“It was a good two rounds, I played well,” said Balcar, who regularly carries it 310 yards off the tee. “With the firm fairways here, I probably got 30 to 40 yards of roll out.”

Panepento, who won the prestigious Denny Shute Match Play Championship last year, will make his first trip to the Nationals in just two tries after making 10 birdies and stringing together 10 straight 4s to start his second round. He closed strong with birdies on his final two holes. The 25-year-old native of Wooster is a player to watch the rest of this season and beyond.

Pepper Pike Club’s Sean McGuire and DJ Holub and Shady Hollow’s Ian Haidle clinched the three alternate spots to the nationals.

Shady Hollow, in great shape, played tough all day under near-ideal conditions. Only seven players were able to shoot sub-par rounds with Balcar, Sattler and Panepento going under-par in both. Other sub-par rounds were shot by Holub, Palmer Yenrick (Stone Oak), Dan Wasinski (Signature of Solon) and Shady Hollow’s Ian Haidle.

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Final Results:
1. Michael Balcar, Brandywine Country Club, $1,600.00, *65-68-133 -11
2. Blake Sattler, Willie’s Custom Golf Center, $1,200.00, *67-69-136 -8
3. Anthony Panepento, Canterbury Golf Club, $1,000.00, *70-71-141 -3
4. DJ Holub, Pepper Pike Club, $900.00, *74-68-142 -2
5. Dan Wasinski, Signature of Solon Country Club, $800.00, *77-68-145 +1
5. Matthew Nimsuwan, Portage Country Club, $800.00, *73-72-145 +1
7. Joe Puch, Fox Meadow Country Club, $600.00, *76-72-148 +4
7. Antonio Bodziony, Chagrin Valley Country Club, $600.00, *76-72-148 +4
9. Sean McGuire, Pepper Pike Club, $450.00, *74-75-149 +5
10. Palmer Yenrick, Stone Oak Country Club, $387.50, *83-67-150 +6
10. Ian Haidle, Shady Hollow Country Club, $387.50, *80-70-150 +6
12. Drew Shell, Pepper Pike Club, $312.50, *76-77-153 +9
12. Alex Treuel, Oberlin Golf Club, $312.50, *75-78-153 +9
12. Jon Jones, Youngstown Country Club, $312.50, *75-78-153 +9
12. Jordan Paolini, Shaker Heights Country Club, $312.50, *80-73-153 +9
16. Alec Adcock, Club Walden, $250.00, *80-74-154 +10
QUALIFIERS
1. Michael Balcar, Brandywine Country Club, *65-68-133 -11
2. Anthony Panepento, Canterbury Golf Club, *70-71-141 -3

ALTERNATES – IN ORDER
3. DJ Holub, Pepper Pike Club, *74-68-142 -2
4. Sean McGuire, Pepper Pike Club, *74-75-149 +5
5. Ian Haidle, Shady Hollow Country Club, *80-70-150 +6