Parker Leads, Waitrovich Second In 40th NOPGA Senior Professional Championship

Mansfield: It was windy. It was unseasonably cold. It was wet after a brief overnight rain and the sun made fewer appearances than Halley’s Comet.

Those adversities and a difficult golf course made things difficult for most of the 31 players on Monday during the first of two rounds in the 40th Northern Ohio PGA Professional Championship at Westbrook Country Club.

Only eight players were able to shoot par or better. But, to everyone’s defense, it wasn’t easy out there.
 

 
The two names at the top of the leaderboard have won more than their fair share of NOPGA events but Steve Parker and Tom Waitrovich have never won this event.

Parker, the former head professional at Portage Country Club, shot the only bogey-free round of the day and will take a one-shot lead into Tuesday’s final round after opening with nines of 35-34 and a 3-under 69.

“It as challenging,” said Parker, who finished in a tie for second last year when the tournament was held at Shawnee Country Club in Lima. “It was cooler than we’ve been experiencing, the day started off moist with the dew and the rain and the winds were gusting from different directions. But, we got through it.”

Waitrovich, the former long-time head professional at Lakewood Country Club and now a PGA Life Member, hit 17 greens and went 14 holes without a bogey en route to a 2-under 70 (34-36) and sole possession of second place.

“Given the circumstances, I’ll take that score all day,” said Waitrovich, who just missed pulling into a tie for the lead when his birdie attempt on the severely undulated 18th green curled just under the hole.

Two former champions – Pepper Pike Club Head Professional and 2022 champion Rob Moss (37-34) and Belmont Country Club Assistant and defending champion Mike Stone (35-36) – were two shots out of the lead, along with Canterbury Golf Club Head Professional Jason Carbone (33-38), 1899 Indoor Golf Instructor Scott Pollack (36-35) and Union Country Club Director of Golf Sean Kenily (36-35).

PGA Life Member Tom Atchison, the fourth-place finisher last year at Shawnee, was in at 37-35 even-par 72.

At least the top four finishers will qualify for the 36th PGA National Professional Championship to be held next month in Sunriver, Ore. Four others can earn alternate spots.

Also, spots on the NOPGA Senior Team for the 28th Ohio Cup Matches are up for grabs. The top five seniors on the season-long points list will make the team that will face the Southern Ohio PGA Team in October.

Parker stands sixth on the list so a strong finish on Tuesday will be a benefit.

“Of course, I would like to make that team and I need to take care of business,” he said. “And, winning this event would be nice. Very nice.”

Parker made eight straight pars to start his round, highlighted by a 20-foot par-saver on the second hole, and made the turn at one-under with a two-putt birdie from 40 feet on the 506-yard eighth.Another monster putt, this time from about 30 feet on the 442-yard 10th, fell for birdie and six straight pars followed. He added his final birdie when his 9-iron shot stopped about eight feet from the hole on the 166-yard 17th and he rolled in a nice left-to-right putt.

Waitrovich closed his front nine with birdies on the 426-yard and the par-3 ninth when his 8-iron tee shot settled five feet from the hole.
A poor chip on the 447-yard 15th – after a 14-foot birdie putt fell on the 14th – led to Waitro’s lone bogey of the day.

Stone, who lost in a playoff to Moss here in 2022, birdied the second hole then reeled off 11 consecutive pars before a birdie on the 14th got him to 2-under. His lone bogey came on the difficult 18th.

PGA Life Member Mitch Camp had the shot of the day on the 160-yard sixth, missing a hole-in-one by two inches.

Play resumes on Tuesday at 8:05 a.m. with the leaders expected to tee off at 9:45.