Firestone Country Club to Host the 104th Ohio Open Championship in 2025
Photo by Gary Kellner
Story by Tim Rogers
WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS: The Ohio Open Championship, one of the oldest and longest-running golf tournaments in the state, will move to the iconic Firestone Country Club for the 104th playing in 2025.
The Ohio Open, conducted by the Northern Ohio Section of the Professional Golfers Association, is regarded as the state championship and has been won by such legends as Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson, Herman Keiser, Tom Weiskopf, Denny Shute and Billy Burke.
The tournament, contested over 54 holes, has been held at Westfield Country Club for the last four years and for eight times since 2016. The club will undergo a major clubhouse rebuild next month, necessitating the tournament move for 2025.
The 104th playing will be held June 30th, July 1st and July 2d. Through Firestone’s gracious hospitality, the tournament will utilize all three of Firestone’s courses.
Rounds one and two will be played on the Fazio Course, formerly known as the West Course, and the North Course, with the final round scheduled for the renowned South Course.
“We are delighted to bring the 2025 Ohio Open Championship to the storied grounds of Firestone Country Club,” said NOPGA Executive Director David Griffith. “Firestone’s history and its challenging layouts provide the perfect stage for Ohio’s top players to showcase their skills, and we are excited to offer the competitors and fans an unforgettable championship experience.”
The move marks a return to Firestone, which last hosted the Ohio Open in 1961 and 1962.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Ohio Open Championship to Firestone Country Club in 2025,” said Dale Davis, Director of Golf at Firestone. “Hosting this prestigious event is an honor, as it showcases some of the finest golf talent in Ohio on our iconic courses. We look forward to providing an unforgettable experience for the players, spectators, and the entire Ohio golf community.”
Toledo’s Frank Stranahan, who won six times on the PGA Tour, won his third Ohio Open title in 1961. Willoughby’s Bob Shave Jr., who played six years on the PGA Tour, won the second of his three Ohio Open championships in 1962.
The tournament is open to professional and amateur players.
The Fazio Course, named after famed architect Tom Fazio, opened in 1989 as the West Course and has played host to the Ohio Senior Open every year since 2003 and for 27 times since 1996. Tom Fazio Architects redesigned it in 2021 and the course was renamed in his honor.
The North Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones, opened in 1969 and was the site of the PGA Tour’s American Golf Classic in 1976 and the 1994 World Series of Golf.
The famed South Course, originally designed by Bert Way, was the first course built by Raymond Firestone and opened on August 10, 1929. Robert Trent Jones did a major renovation for the 1960 PGA Championship. It has been the site of numerous significant events, with PGA Tour Champions’ Kaulig Companies Championship being the most recent.
Drew Salyers, a 23-year-old professional from the Mount Vernon area, is the reigning Open champion after he posted rounds of 67-65-68 for a 10-under 200 and a one-stroke victory over three players.
Strongsville’s Jake Scott, Minerva’s Paul Wackerly and Shaker Heights amateur Andrew Bailey all finished at 9-under 209 as the Open maintained its tradition of close and exciting finishes. Only once since 2008 has the tournament been decided by more than one stroke and Salyers’ victory marked the fifth consecutive year and the seventh time in the last 10 years that it was a one-stroke win.
This will mark the 80th consecutive year that the Ohio Open has been held. It began in 1927 but was not held in 1943 because of World War II. It is believed only the Toledo Open – also conducted by the NOPGA – has had a longer uninterrupted run at 94 consecutive years. Other “long-running” events in Ohio include the Ohio Amateur with 78 consecutive years, the Tigertown Open (73 consecutive years), the Ohio Junior Tournament (73 consecutive years) and the Stark County Amateur (71 consecutive years).