We annually host our own March Madness Basketball pool for NCJT players. All 2022 and 2023 members are eligible to participate. There is NO COST to play, just submit your bracket and follow the scoring. Prizes will be announced based on the number of signups. Last year Matt Blumenthal won the contest. The only requirement is your entry name must closely match-up with your NCJT roster name. Submit your bracket by Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 12pm. Enjoy the fun of March Madness!
Practice round and lodging information will be coming out this week. The team is complete and we are excited to be back at Firestone for our 24th year of hosting the Joe Haase Cup.
Membership and Tournament Sign-ups are in full swing at NCJT.
March is almost here and our February membership discount will end. If you are interested in the early bird discount, please signup before midnight on February 28. The 2023 season will include a 16 event schedule and 9 Mini Tour events for 12 and under juniors.
The major events to not miss in 2023 are the Jim Dawson Match Play, the Four-Ball Championship, the Junior-4Am at Little Mountain, the Sand Ridge Junior Invitational and the Tour Championship.
Here are the February early bird discounts.
Regular Membership is $20 off $95
Mini-Tour Membership is $10 off $40
2023 NCJT Schedule
Joe Haase Cup at Firestone – Saturday, April 22, 2023
The NCJT Joe Haase Cup team will compete for the Cup, against 3 other tours from around the state of Ohio, at Firestone CC on Saturday, April 22. Here’s a look at the team members:
Boys 17-19
1 – Dominik Cosic
2 – Domenic Pilla
3 – Alex Mylen
4 – Anthony Frank
5 – Charlie Tzefronis
6 – Louis LaGanke
Captain’s Pick – Jack Zeid
Boys 16 & Under
1 – Jackson Pinney
2 – Lincoln Miller
3 – Will Cody
4 – Elliot Thome
5 – Ben Yeager
6 – Matthew Contipelli
Captain’s Pick – Charlie Pollock
Girls 19 & Under
1 – Kate Petersen
2 – Blake Cody
3 – Elena Varga
4 – TBA
Best of luck to the 2023 NCJT team!
Victor Prokop Offering Indoor Golf Studio Instruction
Spring is just around the corner and now is the time to get your game on the right track. Victor Prokop, Assistant Tour Director, is setup at Lost Nation Sports Park golf simulators to teach junior golfers or anyone ready to invest in game improvement. Victor, studied Professional Golf Management at Ohio State University and is a experienced competitive player that is sure to help your game. Contact Victor at 440-488-1886 or vprokop1996@gmail.com to book some time with him in the simulator.
It’s time to get your game on tour! The 2023 season is open and we have another exciting schedule planned for our junior golfers. Little Mountain and Fowler’s Mill are back on the schedule for 2023. The major events to not miss are the Jim Dawson Match Play, the Four-Ball Championship, the Junior-4Am at Little Mountain, the Sand Ridge Junior Invitational and the Tour Championship.
During the month of February the Tour Membership is discounted.
Regular Membership is $20 off $95
Mini-Tour Membership is $10 off $40
2023 NCJT Schedule
Joe Haase Cup at Firestone – Saturday, April 22, 2023
Invites for the Joe Haase Cup were sent out in mid-January and we look forward to another great year at Firestone. NCJT has a total of 6 wins over the 21 years of cup matches. Best of luck to the 2023 NCJT team!
2022 OHSAA Division II Girls State Championship – OSU Gray Course – October 14-15, 2022
Ella Wong is a three time Classic Cup Champion on NCJT. Ella also has 26 tournaments wins on NCJT since 2018, which is a remarkable record. We are very proud to celebrate Ella’s back-to-back OHSAA State Championship titles. Congratulations Ella, from all your friends at NCJT!
The annual NCJT Awards and Hall of Fame Dinner will be held on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at Pine Ridge CC.
Dinner Agenda:
6:15 PM – Reception
7:00 PM – Dinner
7:45 PM – Awards and Hall of Fame Inductions
This is your save the date reminder!
An official invite (from Greenvelope) will be coming soon to purchase tickets. All NCJT players and families are invited to the dinner. Watch for the official invite that will include dinner ticket information.
At the award’s dinner, special recognization will be given to all of the following for the 2022 season:
The Classic Cup winners
Scholarship Winner
Season Long Plaque Winners (click link to see list of award winners, if your name is listed you should attend)
Classic Cup Winner – our Player of the Year award
Boys 16-19 – Cooper Bryan (401 pts)
Boys 15 & Under – Jackson Pinney (177.5 pts)
Girls 19 & Under – Kate Petersen (107 pts)
Mini Tour 12 & Under – Hamilton Miller (66.5 pts)
Season Long Awards Each tour member is eligible to receive a Season-long Award Plaque which will include all the players Top 3 finishes that qualify as a finishing place. The number of finishing places to be awarded is based on field size, as follows:
Award Table
Number of Players
No. of Places
15 Players or more
3 Places
8 to 14 Players
2 Places
3 to 7 Players
1 Places
Season-long Award Plaques will be awarded in person at the Annual Awards and Hall of Fame Dinner. Plaques will only be awarded at the dinner, to players that have registered for the dinner by the deadline date listed for the event. Players that cannot attend the dinner will be given notice on how to receive their award (shipping charges may apply). The Annual Award and Hall of Fame Dinner will be held in December.
What an exciting fall for many NCJT players who have qualified for the Ohio High School State Championships.
Boys Division 1 – October 21-22 at Ohio State University Scarlet Course. Here are the top four teams that qualified and you can see in Bold all the players that have a playing history on NCJT.
1st
St. Ignatius *
295
1.
Connor Malicki 12
39
40
79
2.
Nick Piesen 12
35
35
70
3.
Bradley Chill 11
35
38
73
4.
Julian Dugan 11
38
38
76
5.
Michael O’Leary 12
36
40
76
Coach: PJ Myers
2nd
Shaker Hts. *
327
1.
Noah Rusnak 11
43
39
82
2.
Quintin Garnett 11
37
43
80
3.
Drew English 12
43
45
88
4.
Alec Miller 11
43
36
79
5.
Devan Bhatia 11
46
40
86
Coach: Paul Sampliner
3rd
University School *
329
1.
Ethan Roberts 10
40
42
82
2.
Adam Sands 10
43
44
87
3.
Sachin Singh 12(2020 NCJT Classic Cup winner)
44
40
84
4.
Jackson Pinney 10(2022 NCJT Classic Cup winner)
39
39
78
5.
Jackson Kubic 12
45
40
85
Coach: Mike Sarris
4th
Mentor *
341
1.
Louis LeGanke 12
42
40
82
2.
Braedon Caldwell 12
43
43
86
3.
Andrew Betz 11
42
40
82
4.
Braedon Hudson 12
47
44
91
5.
Joe Gaiters 12
50
42
92
Jackson Pinney (University School and NCJT Classic Cup winner) shot 78 at Quail Hollow to lead his team to a 3rd place finish. Alec Miller (Shaker Hts) lead his team to a 2nd place finish with a 79. Louis LeGanke (Mentor) and Andrew Betz (Mentor) shot 82 to lead the Mentor team to a 4th place finish and a chance at the state championship.
Also, in Division 1, the Rocky River team finished 1st at the Grey Hawk sectional and included three players with a NCJT playing history.
1st
Rocky River *
328
1.
Luke Dietrich 11
41
42
83
2.
Nick Tianello 11
44
35
79
3.
Dan Capka 11
47
38
85
4.
Owen Toole 12
42
45
87
5.
Wes Bennett 12
41
40
81
Max Weber (Nordonia) shot 85 and made the state championship with his team who finished 2nd at the Windmill Lakes sectional.
Boys Division 2 –October 14-15 at Ohio State University Scarlet Course. Here are the top three teams that qualified and you can see in Bold all the players & “a coach” that have a playing history on NCJT. Charlie Pollock (Chagrin Falls) was medalist at the Quail Hollow sectional and won by 4 strokes…wow (great playing)! Sven Nielsen (Chagrin Falls) 78, Ben Daher (NDCL) 79 and individual qualifier Jack Zeid (Hawken) 78 were all in the top 5 at the Quail Hollow sectional. Vince Vomberger (Hawken) 82 also qualified individually.
1st
Chagrin Falls *
319
1.
Sven Nielsen 11
38
40
78
2.
Charlie Pollock 10
37
36
73
3.
Dylan Glickman 12
41
48
89
4.
Drew Mergenhagen 12
45
34
79
5.
Gavin Stevens 12
46
44
90
Coach: Anne Caja
2nd
NDCL *
328
1.
Ben Daher 12
40
39
79
2.
Andreas Reider 11
43
43
86
3.
Ryley Stefanek 12
38
39
77
4.
Jack Alexander 11
43
43
86
5.
Phillip Davidson 12
45
44
89
Coach: Toni DeSanto
3rd
Lake Catholic *
336
1.
Dominik Cosic 12
39
41
80
2.
Marcus Berrios 12
43
41
84
3.
Jimmy Hoose 11
40
43
83
4.
Kyle Boyd 10
45
47
92
5.
A.J. Trobenter 10
46
43
89
Coach: Robert Forrai
Boys Division 2 (Bunker Hill sectional) – Another great showing from the NCJT players. James O’Neil (Beachwood) and Dillion Fellinger (Orange) tied for medalist at 78. Charlie Tzefronis (Gilmour Academy) was one stroke back at 79 and lead the Gilmour team to 1st place in the sectional.
1st
Gilmour Academy *
329
1.
Aidan McKito 11
44
42
86
2.
Charlie Tzefronis 11
38
41
79
3.
Alex Mylen 12
42
40
82
4.
Vince Giancola 12
44
38
82
5.
Ryan Panzica 9
51
56
107
Coach: Andy Deehr
2nd
Orange *
342
1.
Dillon Fellinger 12
39
39
78
2.
Truman Williams 12
49
49
98
3.
Gabriel Nemer 11
47
49
96
4.
Max Eisenberg 11
41
47
88
5.
Jayden Park 9
41
39
80
Girls – There was also some standout play in the Girls sectionals for players that have a playing history on NCJT. Kandace Kellon (Hathaway Brown) was medalist with 73 at the Old Avalon sectional. Gracyn Vidovic (Aurora) and Manisha Grin IAurora) shot 80’s to lead thier team at the Old Avalon sectional.
1st
Hathaway Brown *
312.086000
312
1.
Dixon Hill 10
36
40
76
2.
Kandace Kellon 12
34
39
73
3.
Claire Hickey 12
40
43
83
4.
Blake Cody 10
38
42
80
5.
Hannah Weinberger 10
42
44
86
Coach: Ronald Jones
2nd
Aurora *
340.094000
340
1.
Gracyn Vidovic 10
40
40
80
2.
Manisha Girn 10
37
43
80
3.
Nina Newkirk 11
45
45
90
4.
Cameron Custer 12
45
45
90
5.
Meena Kraus 10
50
44
94
Coach: George Snider
At the Girls Punderson sectional, we had plenty of NCJT representation at the top of the scoring. Ella Wong (Hawken) lead the way as medalist and enroute toward another state championship opportunity. Ellawon the Division II State Championship in 2021 and will be the defending champion on October 14-15 at the Ohio State University (Gray Course).
1st
Independence *
356
1.
Molly McGreal 11
41
42
83
2.
Hillary Esper 12
46
45
91
3.
Emma Konopa 12
46
45
91
4.
Bel Trombetta 10
45
48
93
5.
Macey McGhee 10
46
45
91
Coach: Karl Schuld
2nd
Hawken *
369
1.
Ella Wong 12(2021 State Champion & 3 time NCJT Classic Cup winner)
39
38
77
2.
Kate Petersen 12 (2022 NCJT Classic Cup winner)
43
42
85
3.
Helena Yanchar 11
54
58
112
4.
Keira Chang 9
53
53
106
5.
Lizzie Kent 12
51
50
101
Congratulations to all the NCJT State Championship qualifiers. Best of luck at the Championships!
Ryan Chipps (Painesville) won the Boys 16-19 division at Quail Hollow shooting 68-68–136 (-6). Ryan played an outstanding two rounds of golf, shooting his career low tournament score and won with a 16 stroke margin of victory. He began his opening round shooting a 68 with six birdies (five birdies on the back nine). Ryan made par on his opening hole of the second round, then went on to make three consecutive birdies to get to (-3) through 4 holes (-6) for the tournament, shooting 31 on the front nine. Ryan made double bogey on the par five, 13th hole but made up for it with two more birdies to shoot even on the back. Ryan had 11 birdies for the championship. James O’Neill (Beachwood) finished second place with scores of 76-76–152 (+10). James was in third place to start the day, and shot 34 (E) on the front nine, making two birdies and two bogeys. James made eight birdies for the championship. Jackson Kubic (Shaker Hts) finished in third place with a 77-78–155 (+13). Jackson made two birdies in his round and had a strong finish, shooting (-1) in his last five holes. Jackson won a scorecard playoff over Domenic Pilla and Sven Neilsen.
Boys 15 & Under
Jackson Pinney (Hunting Valley) also had a dominating victory in the Boys 15 & Under division with scores of 69-69–138 (-4) and won by 36 strokes. It was another career best day for Jackson, making five birdies in his final round. Jackson’s first round 69 was the first time he ever broke 70 in his life, then he followed that up with another 69 on back to back days. That was some amazing golf. He made a total of nine birdies for the championship. Lincoln Miller (Concord) finished in second place with scores of 88-86–174.
Girls 19 & Under
Kate Petersen (Chardon) won the Girls 19 & Under division with scores of 81-84–165(+13). Kate played strong from tee to green, but the putter wasn’t matching up with her full swing game. She had a successful season on tour, winning 4 events. Elena Varga (Hudson) finished second with scores of 97-90–187.
Mini Tour 12 & Under
Hamilton Miller (Concord) wins the first ever Mini Tour Championship division at Quail Hollow with a score of (47). Hamilton made a great par on the 15th hole (Weiskopf). Aiden Curtis (Mentor) finished second place with a score of (48). Aiden was down by 4 shots after 5 hole and came the last hole only one behind. Hamilton and Aiden tied the last hole with 6.
Matt Blumenthal recieved his Hole-One-In plaque for his his ace at Black Brook GC on July 14.
The Denny Spaulding Golf Scholarship was won by James O’Neill for his outstanding application to the selection committee. James stands out on many levels, but his GPA, golf resume, piano skills and plans for college were viewed by the committee as the one worthy of the award. We’d also like to thank the other applicants, it was a tough decision to only choose one. The $1,500 scholarship is part of the Spaulding’s Family commitment to our junior golfers and we’d like to thank them for their support!
7/28/2022 – 7/29/2022 @ Quail Hollow CC Boys 16-19 Ryan Chipps, 2022, Painesville, OH 68-68–136 James O’Neill, 2023, Beachwood, OH 76-76–152 Domenic Pilla, 2022, Highland Hts, OH 78-77–155 Sven Nielsen, 2024, Chagrin Falls, OH 78-77–155 Jackson Kubic, 2023, Shaker Hts, OH 77-78–155 Matt Blumenthal, 2022, Beachwood, OH 75-83–158 Louis LaGanke, 2023, Mentor, OH 80-79–159 Dylan Feldkamp, 2020, Mentor, OH 82-77–159 Drew Torzok, 2024, Kirtland, OH 79-84–163 Charlie Tzefronis, 2024, Pepper Pike, OH 84-81–165 Cullan Jackson, 2022, Painesville, OH 87-81–168 Anthony Frank, 2023, Willoughby Hills, OH 81-88–169 Maxwell Weber, 2023, Macedonia, OH 83-86–169 Joshua Furman, 2023, Jefferson, OH 83-87–170 CJ Goodrich, 2023, Chardon, OH 80-95–175 Devan Bhatia, 2024, Shaker Hts, OH 91-84–175 Alex Mylen, 2023, Cleveland Hts , OH 90-86–176 Braedon Caldwell, 2023, Mentor, OH 91-88–179 Joseph Raicevich, 2023, Chardon, OH 92-92–184 Alex Lavin, 2021, Chesterland, OH 99-104–203
Boys 15&U Jackson Pinney, 2025, Hunting Valley, OH 69-69–138 Lincoln Miller, 2027, Concord , OH 88-86–174 Elliot Thome, 2024, Shaker Hts, OH 91-91–182 Will Cody, 2027, Shaker Heights, OH 94-93–187 Ben Yeager, 2026, Shaker Heights, OH 101-89–190 Nolan Dumermuth, 2025, Concord, OH 91-101–192
Ryan Chips (Painesville) had a career day, with a first round score of 38-30–68 (-3). Ryan made one birdie on the front nine, then made the turn and lit up the back nine with five birdies for a 30 (-5). He made three in a row on holes 15,16, and17 where he made a long putts from off the green. Ryan missed a short range birdie putt on hole 14 that would have resulted in 5 straight birdies and a 29, but a 30 is still a career low for Ryan. Matt Blumenthal (Beachwood) is in 2nd place after shooting a 39-36–75 (+4). Matt made three birdies on his round and sits seven shots back of the lead. James O’Neil (Beachwood) is in 3rd place after a first round score of 38-38–76 (+5).
Boys 15 & Under
Jackson Pinney (Hunting Valley) had a career day as well, shooting 35-34–69 (-2). This was Jackson’s first time career round in the 60s. And it’s pretty special to shoot a career low at Tour championship. Jackson had two birdies and one bogey on the front nine, and two birdies and one bogey on the back nine. He holds a nineteen shot lead over Lincoln Miller (Concord) 44-44–88 (+17).
Girls 19 & Under
Kate Petersen (Chardon) had a solid round of 42-39–81 (+10). Kate made a few more mistakes than usual and didn’t make a birdie to help with recovery. She hit a lot of irons shots within birdie range, but was unable to sink any. Kate leads Elena Varga (Hudson) by 16 strokes. Elena shot a first round score of 50-47–97 (+26).
The excitement of NCJT Tour Championship week has begun and here’s a look at what to expect during championship week.
Aaron Morris(Scottsdale, AZ) will be back to defend his Tour Championship win from last year! James O’Neil (Beachwood) lost in a playoff last year and is one of the favorites, coming off two wins in his last 3 tournaments. Charlie Tzefronis (Pepper Pike) was 2nd last year in the Boys 15&U and is playing well enough to compete at the top in the Boys 16-19 division this year. Sven Neilsen (Chagrin Falls) is another favorite, coming off an impressive performance to win the Jim Dawson Match Play Championship this year.
In the Boys 15&U division, Jackson Pinney (Hunting Valley) is the Classic Cup leader and the favorite to continue his winning ways (6 wins over 8 events). Lincoln Miller (Concord) is 2nd in Classic Cup points and will be another top competitor for this championship.
In the Girls 19&U division, Kate Peterson (Chardon) is the Classic Cup leader and is expected to battle at the top for the championship.
Aiden Curtis (Mentor), Hamilton Miller (Concord) and Jaxson Trebets (Chesterland) are expected to have a close competition for the Mini-Tour Championship title.
The Champions this week will join the ranks of many top players, like PGA Tour Players (Jason Dufner and Jason Kokrak) that have won a NCJT Tour Championship.
Practice Rounds are available after 2pm on Wednesday. Cost is $20 for juniors. Call the Quail Hollow Golf Shop to arrange a tee time 440-639-4000
The course rotation will be Devlin (Thursday) and Weiskopf (Friday). A burger luncheon will be available after play both days. Caddies and spectators can purchase a meal from the burger luncheon as well.
Caddies are permitted both days.
A committee email will be sent to all contestants to determine two things:
Are you bringing a caddie?
How many extra luncheon guests will you have? (Don’t count yourself, EXTRA GUESTS ONLY)
Do you plan to play a practice round?
All NCJT members are eligible to play, provided they can break 100. If you haven’t signed up yet. Now’s the time. Tee times will post Tuesday morning. Tee times start at 8am each day. Second round tee times are based on 1st round scores.
Ryan Chipps (Painesville) won the Boys 16-19 division with a 39-35–74 at Legend Lake. Ryan made two birdies on his front nine, but made a couple bogeys to finish with a 39, just a couple shots back of the lead. He got into a nice rythym on the back nine, making two more birdies to shoot a 35 (-1) on the back. Cooper Bryan(Pepper Pike) and Peyton O’Keefe (Moreland Hills) tied for second with a 76 (+4). Cooper made three birdies, and Peyton made two birdies and an eagle. Peyton had the lead for most of the day, but made four bogies in a row to finish his round.
Boys 15 & Under
Steven Voinovich (Hudson) won the Boys 15 & Under division with a 41-38–79. Steven played a steady round of golf to get his first victory on tour this season. Steven made seven pars on the back nine and only two bogies to shoot 38 (+2). Will Cody (Shaker Hts) and Jackson Pinney (Hunting Valley) tied for second with a 83 (+11).
Girls 19 & Under
Macey Mcghee (Independence) won the Girls 19 & Under division with a 46-52–98. Macey shot a 46 on her first nine holes, and gave herself a five shot lead heading to the back nine, over Isabel Trombetta(Independence). Isabel made a good comeback on the final 9 holes, only to far one short of Macey with 51-48–99.
Mini Tour 12 & Under
Hamilton Miller (Concord) won the Mini Tour division with a 43 (+7). Hamilton was down one stroke to Bryson Purdef (Concord) going into his last hole, and tied with Aiden Curtis (Mentor). Hamilton made a great par to gain a two strokes swing over Bryson and a one stroke swing over Aiden Curtis (Mentor) Aiden and Bryson finished tied for second shooting 44 (+8).
North Coast Junior Tour – Legend Lake + Mini 7/21/2022 – Legend Lake Golf Club Par 72, 6322 Yards
Boys 16-19 Ryan Chipps, 2022, Painesville, OH 39-35–74 Peyton O’Keefe, 2022, Moreland Hills, OH 37-39–76 Cooper Bryan, 2022, Pepper Pike, OH 37-39–76 Jack Zeid, 2024, Aurora, OH 40-38–78 Drew Torzok, 2024, Kirtland, OH 40-41–81 Charlie Tzefronis, 2024, Pepper Pike, OH 41-41–82 Ryan Przybysz, 2024, Wadsworth, OH 44-39–83 Anthony Frank, 2023, Willoughby Hills, OH 41-43–84 Braedon Caldwell, 2023, Mentor, OH 40-44–84 Cullan Jackson, 2022, Painesville, OH 41-43–84 Marcus Berrios, 2023, Concord, OH 43-42–85 Maxwell Weber, 2023, Macedonia, OH 45-40–85 Joshua Furman, 2023, Jefferson, OH 44-42–86 Quinn Petersen, 2022, Chardon, OH 44-42–86 Andrew Betz, 2024, Mentor, OH 43-46–89 Alex Mylen, 2023, Cleveland Hts , OH 45-44–89 Ethan Metz, 2024, Kirtland, OH 47-43–90 Alex Lavin, 2021, Chesterland, OH 45-47–92 Brayden Abbott, 2024, Painesville , OH 47-47–94
Boys 15&U Steven Voinovich, 2025, Hudson, OH 41-38–79 Jackson Pinney, 2025, Hunting Valley, OH 42-41–83 Will Cody, 2027, Shaker Heights, OH 42-41–83 Lincoln Miller, 2027, Concord , OH 43-45–88 Ryan Diffenbacher, 2026, Painesville, OH 46-44–90 Koen Van Scoy, 2026, Hudson, OH 46-48–94 Ben Yeager, 2026, Shaker Heights, OH 52-48–100 William Mylen, 2027, Cleveland Hts, OH 51-52–103 Declan Jackson, 2026, Leroy Township, OH 56-61–117 Coleson Purdef, 2027, Concord, OH 64-61–125
