
Liam Ottaway (Pepper Pike) shot 74-73–147 to win medalist at The Firecracker. The 36-hole competition was played at Stonewater Golf Club on June 30 & July 1. Liam scored much better on the front nine than the back each day. He had 34 and 33 on the front, but shot 40 both days on the back. He had 3 birdie in each round and was the only player to play the par 5s under par for the event (no one played the Par 3s or Par 4s under par). Antonio Bodziony was 2nd in the Boys 16-19 division with a 77-79–156. Nelson Pike was 3rd with a 85-79–164.


Robert Kimmel (left), Julian Dugan (right)
In the Boys 14-15 division, Julian Dugan (Rocky River) and Robert Kimmel (Shaker Hts) tied for 1st with 75’s on both days (75-75–150). Julian had 4 birdies on his opening round to overcome a double, bogey, double start. Robert scored consistently each day shooting matching rounds of 36-39–75 and but his GIR were much better on day one (14 GIR) vs (10 GIR) on day two.

Ella Wong (Pepper Pike) continues her winning streak with two rounds of 80 (80-80–160) to win the Girls 16-19 division. Ella would have broke 80 each day if it won’t for the tough last three holes (5 over on round 1 and 3 over on round 2). Ella had 3 birdies on day 1, but cannot sink a birdie on day 2. Ella average more than 35 putts per round, which is a stat she would like get much lower. Lauren Bangasser (Concord) took 2nd with 98-94–192. Lauren fired a 40 on her first nine of round 2, which was impressive on the tough Stonewater course.
Another Pace of Play record!

We witnessed a real firecracker pace today. The last flag in was at 3 hours and 46 minutes. Based on the course and the tough conditions, this is a remarkable record and unheard of in tournament golf. This is the third time this season that the entire field played under 4 hours. Congrats to all for playing like “Tournament Players”.
The Pace Sheet was set to 4 hours 17 minutes due to Stonewater’s tough course conditions and long walks from greens to tees. The lead group of Jack Curtis (New Albany), Cam Addington (Avon Lake) and Josh Pethel (Hudson) set the pace right out of the gate. They were minus 14 minutes at the turn, which means they were on a minus 28 pace for the round. Once the pace is set right, everyone seems to get in stride and its much more fun to play golf at a good rhythm. The final pace for the last group (Ella Wong (Pepper Pike), Lauren Bangasser (Concord) and Aubrie Rush (Avon)) ended up at minus 31 and that qualifies for a “Skittles for Skedaddlers reward at the next event (which is Sand Ridge on Monday, July 8th).