Steve Stone Wins Northern Ohio Senior PGA Professional Championship

BRANDYWINE PRO STEVE STONE RALLIES TO WIN NORTHERN OHIO SENIOR PGA PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Robison, the director of golf at Canton’s Brookside Country Club, also qualified and will be joined by Lima’s Steve Mulcahy and Chardon’s Tony Milam, a two-time winner of this event, as the top-four finishers advance to Texas.

Stone, 50, entered the final round three shots behind Robison, who was seeking an unprecedented sixth Section title. The former standout from Ohio State, made the turn at even-par but scorched the back-nine with a five-under 32, highlighted by an eagle-3 on the 468-yard 15th hole.

“After that I just wanted to hold on and make three pars,” said Stone, who did exactly that. Prior to his game-changing eagle, Stone started the back nine with consecutive birdies on the 11th and 12th holes while Robison made par. It was an emotional victory for Stone, who earned all-Big Ten honors during his senior season at OSU. He has battled wrist and hip injuries for the last two years. At one point he feared the hip problems would prevent him from continuing his playing career.

“It starts to make you wonder,” he said. “I was afraid that I would never be able to play (competitively) again. So, this is very special for me. I couldn’t be happier. I played well and held off a very strong field.”

The four NOPGA qualifiers will be part of a 264-player field in The Senior PGA Professional Championship, which features a purse of $300,000.

By: Northern Ohio PGA Contributor, Tim Rogers