As prep golf season begins in earnest this week, area players got a solid tuneup at the annual Belmont Hills Junior Golf Tournament, which was hosted by the Barnesville Golf Parents at the challenging, par 72 Belmont Hills Country Club.

Bridgeport’s Matt Herink fired a 7-over, 79 to win the overall title in the 17-18 year old division. He was three shots better than Buckeye Trail’s Evan Archer and four shots lower than St. John Central’s Aaron Rataiczak.

In the 15-16 year old division, St. Clairsville’s Brandon Vucelich and Harrison Central’s Cline Heavilin both fired a round of 80, but Vucelich got the victory by winning a playoff hole on No. 9. Steubenville’s Isaiah Herring was the third-place finisher with an 84.

In the 13-14 year old division, Martins Ferry’s Luke Krol shot an 88, which was two shots better than Owen Carney. Finishing third was Barnesville’s Payne Johnson and Corpus Christie’s J.C. Maxwell with a 92.

On the female side of the event, Makyla Lewellen prevailed in the 16-18 year old division with a round of 83. She was eight shots better than Brittany Rinehart and 16 better than Barnesville’s Ciara Bauman.

In the 13-15 year old division, Buckeye Local’s Emily Holzapfel won by 14 shots over Alicia Dickinson. Michalea Greene of Buckeye Local finished third.

AT THE Moundsville Country Club, the annual Honeywell Junior Invitational Tournament was held early last week, featuring a large field of boys and girls players.

Jacob Nickell won the 15-16 year old division with a 73. He was six shots better than Ryan Payne and eight shots clear of Jacob Jeffries.

In the 17-18 year old division, Isaac Curtis prevailed with a 76, while Jaren Straughn finished second with a 78. Kyle Wensel rounded out the top three with a 79.

The boys’ 13-14 year old title went to Trey Blain, who posted an 81. Luke Krol was second with a 91 and Aaron Mazur was third.

Kailey Pettit won the 15-18 year old female crown with a 78. She was six shots better than Dorothy Romanek. Jayden Cook won the 10-14 year old division.

WHEELING COUNTRY CLUB

The club held its annual Club Championship event last weekend. The three-round event wrapped up last Sunday with ex-Wheeling Thunderbird Tim Roberts winning the title by a shot over Jacob Nickell. Roberts was consistent throughout the event, posting scores of 71, 72 and 73.

Nickall put together the low round of the event on Sunday with a 69, but that followed back-to-back rounds of 74. Alex Saseen (226) finished a distant third. Justin Ferrell and Jeff Ciply finished tied for fourth with scores of 233. Doc Shaffer was sixth in the championship flight with a 236.

Joe Marchlenski won the Class 1 Flight with a two-round score of 137. He won in a tiebreaker over Mike Romaine. Phil High captured the Class 2 Flight with a 136. He was four shots better than Jim Buch.

The club held its junior championship last Thursday. Jackson Martin won the ages 5-8 championship, which consisted of three holes with a 17. Luke Simonetti was the winner of the 9-12 age group with a 26. Dylan Dunlevy was the winner of the 13 and up title with a round of 44.

WHEELING PARK GOLF CLUB

The Bush Lipinski and Walt Gosztyla Memorial event was held on July 27. Claiming the medal portion of the event was Art Lightner. He fired a round of 33, which was two shots better than George Melnik. Chris Bommer was third with a round of 36. Robbie Evans (37) and Rich Colley (37) rounded out the top five.

In the handicap scoring, Tom Mitchell prevailed with a score of 31. Finishing second was Dick Moore with a 32. Jim Druschel (33), Shawn Schwertfeger (33) and Rick Diefenbaugh (34) rounded out the top five.

The club held its President’s Cup event on July 30-31. Lightner prevailed with a 132 in the 36-hole event. Jay Davis was second with a 132. Roger Kupfer finished third with a 133. Bruno DeCrease was fourth with a 142 and Bob Green rounded out the top five with a 146.

In the handicap scoring portion of the tournament, Gary Mercer was the winner with a 133. Jerry Yahase was second with a 135. Druschel was third with a 136. Ron Heatherly (138) and Clark Sambuco (138) rounded out the top five.

The Glessnere & Associates event was held this past Wednesday. Jay Davis prevailed with a 33. Bob Green was a shot back and Robbie Evans was third with a 34. Bruno DeCrease was fourth and Chris Bommer rounded out the top five. In the handicap scoring, Rich Colley prevailed with a 31. Josh Foose was the runnerup with a 31 and George Melnik was third with a 33. Jim Ennis (33) and Tony Campbell (33) rounded out the top five.

SCRAMBLE THANKS

The American Legion Bellaire Post #52 held its annual Tom Donahue Memorial Classic Golf Scramble last month at BecWood Hills Golf Course. The event was deemed a huge success. William H. Wilson, Post 52 adjutant, expressed his appreciation for the following people and businesses: Total Sports Connection, Touchdown Club, Blue Angel, Doyle & Associates, The Runner’s Connection, Rigas, Pytlak Barbershop, V.F.W. #626, The family of Bernard Walker, Muxie’s, World Gym, Defelice Pizza (Martins Ferry), Richard and Rose Rosepapa, DeVendra’s Auto Care, Save Rite Pharmacy, West Texas Roadhouse, 3R Farms Inc., Bauknect-Altmeyer Funeral Home Bellaire, Paz, Belmont Savings Bank, Emergency Medical Transport, Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster, Howard Long Wellness Center, Nathan’s Sports Shop, BecWood Hills Golf Course, Donahue Family, Sam’s Club, Central Grille, Carlini’s Pizza, Gulla’s Hot Dog, “R” Barber Shop — Richard Heslop, Oglebay Golf Courses, Knights of Columbus (Bellaire), Leva’s, Chirp’s Auto Body, Boscovs, Lil Gerardo’s Pizza in Bellaire, Riesbeck’s (Shadyside), Doyle Inc., Post 52 Ladies Auxiliary Unit 52, The Times Leader, Bev’s Florals; Gary & Dave Shultz, Archie Sims, Tim Ciardelli, Undo’s, Bob Evans of St. Clairsville; D.J. Sochor, Denny’s, Steak and Shake, Hattie Wilson, Vicky Sochor, Courtney Clark, Chester Crook, Richard Johnson, Chuck Clark, Harold “Buzz” Donahue, Kevin West, Sonny Sochor, Scott Ferguson and the staff at BecWood.

UPCOMING SCRAMBLES

The St. Joseph, Tiltonsville, Holy Name Society is sponsoring its 34th annual Four-Man Golf Scramble on Saturday, Aug.13 at Fairway River Links in Rayland. Entry fee for the 7 a.m. shotgun start is $50 per golfer and includes a golf cart and continuous food and beverages. New for this year will be cash prizes and a skins game. A closest-to-the-pin competition and 50/50 raffle are also scheduled. Hole sponsorships are available at $25. Registration at the Fairway River Links or by phoning: (740) 859-9304 or (740) 859-2698.

The Buckeye Local Wrestling team is hosting a golf scramble on Saturday, Aug. 13 at Paradise Hills Golf Course in Yorkville. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the event will tee off with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. The entry fee is $45 per player or $145 for a three-person team. The cost includes golf, cart, lunch and refreshments. Cash prizes will be given to the top three teams. For more information, contact head coach Willie Saxton at 740-632-4406.

A new Steelworkers golf outing will be held on Friday, Aug. 12 at Spring Hills Golf Course in East Springfield. The event is open to all steelworkers, both active and retired. The event is a three-man scramble and the entry fee is $30 per player. To register, please call Charlie at 740-543-270. Food, beverages and prizes are included.

The St. Clairsville Junior Sports will hold its annual golf scramble at Belmont Hills Country Club on Saturday, Aug. 20 with a 1 p.m. shotgun start. The entry fee is $100 per person for a four-man team. The entry fee includes golf, beverages, dinner, mulligans and skins. Hole and corporate sponsorships are available. For more information, please contact Dave Stack at 740-517-4271 or Paul Foster at 740-310-1007.

The fourth Annual Bill Stewart Memorial Golf Four-person Scramble will be held at the Sistersville Country Club Aug. 13 with a shotgun start at 8 a.m.

The cost is $220 per team that includes a golf cart, mulligans, awards, shirts and a tailgate party. The proceeds will go to help support organizations, scholarships and programs that demonstrate Bill’s love for sports and his dedication in the development of a positive character in young adults. For reservations, call Dennis Balcerek at 304-455-4281 or contact Ron Casto at 304-337-8474.

The inaugural Belmont County Relay for Life Golf Scramble will be held on Sunday, Oct. 2 at Belmont Hills Country Club.

The event will begin with a shotgun start at 8:45 a.m. Corporate and hole sponsorships are currently available. Corporate sponsorships, which include a foursome in the event, cost $500, while hole sponsorships are $100.

The entry fee to play is $320 per team and only the first 36 complete teams will be accepted. The entry fee includes golf, cart, skins games, prizes, beverages on the course and food. Starbucks will provide coffee and pastries prior to the round and Outback will provide a dinner following the tournament in the club’s dining room.

For more information, please contact tournament director Randy Mellott at 740-338-0578 or via email at rando13@comcast.net.

Entry forms must be submitted to LeeAnn Mahute at 102 Debbie Lane, St. Clairsville, OH 43950