Plans for one of the area’s largest and best scrambles are well under way.

The 21st annual Niekro Classic will be held on Friday, June 21 at Belmont Hills Country Club.

There will once again be an open division and an all-Bridgeport division. The defending champions in the Bridgeport division are Jeff Herink (’86), Matt Herink (’17), Kevin Herink (’19) and Jonathan Kreiter (’14). The open division champions in 2018 were Donnie Cash, Gary Young, Todd Schambach and Anthony Reasbeck.

The entry fee is $100 per player and the proceeds benefit Bridgeport High School. The event with begin with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available. For more information, or to register, please contact Gordie or Stephanie at 740-635-3895.

ACE

STEVE EDGEHOUSE of Mount Pleasant aced the 16th hole at BecWood Hills Golf Course recently. He used a pitching wedge for the 109-yard shot. His feat was witnessed by Jim Blazy, Ron Helms and Tom Powell.

ELKS JUNIOR TOURNAMENTS

The Wheeling Elks Lodge #28 is sponsoring a pair of junior golf tournaments. A par 3 tourney will be held at Oglebay Park on Wednesday, June 26 for ages 7-9 years old. Registration will run from 10:30 a.m. until the shotgun start at 11 a.m. The top three placers will receive an award. Refreshments will be provided after the round at the Haller Shelter.

An 18-hole event will be held at Crispin Course for players 10-18 on the same day. The event will begin with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Registration will begin at 7 a.m. The 10-12 year olds will play from the gold tees, the 13-15 year olds will play from the white and 16-18 from the blue (for boys). For the girls, the 10-12 will play the gold tees, the 13-15 will play the reds and the 16-18 will play the reds. The top three players will receive awards and refreshments will be provided after the round at the Haller Shelter.

For more information, please contact Bob Joseph at 304-277-4446 or Shane Rice at 304-243-4050. Both events are open to the first 80 players.

UPCOMING SCRAMBLES

THE 28TH annual Soup Kitch of Greater Wheeling Inc. Golf scramble will be held on Friday, May 3 at 1 p.m. At Oglebay Park’s Crispin Center. The entry fee is $75 per player if registered by April 28, but it increases to $85 per player and that includes golf, cart, lunch, dinner, awards and prizes. Five levels of sponsorships are also available. For more information, or to register, please call 304-233-2992.

THE THIRD annual St. Clairsville American Legion Post 159 golf scramble will be held on Saturday, May 11 at Cadiz Country Club. The entry fee is $80 per player or $320 for a team. The entry fee includes skins games, green fees, cart, on-course beverages and food. Coffee and pastries will be provided by Starbucks and dinner, provided by Nancy Z’s Catering, will be served at the legion following the round. Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m. and foursomes can be formed if needed. All proceeds benefit the Post 159 baseball team. For more information, or to register, please contact Randy Mellott at 740-338-0578 or via email at rando13@comcast.net

THE ANNUAL Thomas R. Dowler Memorial Golf Classic has become a staple of the spring calendar.

For the eighth time, the event will be held at Belmont Hills Country Club and is expected to attract a large field of competitors. The event’s proceeds benefit the Thomas R. Dowler Fund at Belmont College. That fund helps Belmont College students. It was established to help the mission of Belmont College.

The scramble will be held on Monday, May 20 with a shotgun start slated for noon. Registration and lunch will begin at 11 a.m.

The entry fee includes golf, cart, lunch, beverages and dinner after the round. There will be skill prizes, including two chances to win a vehicle, courtesy of Doan Ford and Whiteside.

For more information, to register or become a sponsor of the event, please contact Konkoleski at 699-3980 or via email at rkonkoleski@belmontcollege.edu

THE FOURTH annual ‘Swinging with the Band’ benefit golf scramble to support the Barnesville Community Alumni Band will be held on Saturday, May 11. The event will begin with a 1 p.m. shotgun start. The entry fee is $125 per player and it includes golf, cart, skins, mulligans, lunch and dinner and beverages on the course. The top three teams will receive prizes and there will be special prizes for longest drive and closest to the pin. Doan Ford is sponsoring a car to go to a player who records a hole-in-one on a pre-determined hole. The event is limited to 36 teams. For more information, contact Rick at 740-238-1563 or email rocks.bcaband@yahoo.com

THE UNITED Way Belmont County Golf Scramble will be held on Friday, May 24 at the Belmont Hills Country Club. The event will include a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start with the top three teams receiving prizes. The entry fee is $500 per team and it includes lunch, beverages on the course, dinner, door prizes and contests, which includes a chance to win a new car. For more information, contact BHCC at 695-2181.

THE 20TH annual Sons of Italy Bellaire Lodge #754 will hold its annual golf scramble on Monday, June 3 at Oglebay Park’s Crispin Course. The event will begin with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. The entry fee is $200 for a four-man team. The cost includes golf, cart, refreshments on the course, dinner at the Haller Shelter. The top three teams will receive prizes. The event is limited to the first 36 teams to register. For more information, please contact Phil Pata at 695-0691.

THE BELLAIRE Touchdown Club will be sponsoring its annual golf scramble on June 29 at Fairway River Links. More details will be forthcoming.

THE SHAMROCK Bowling Golf Scramble will be held on July 27th at Salt Fork State Park. The event will begin with an 8 a.m. shotgun start. The cost is $60 per player or $240 per team. The top two teams will receive prizes. There will be door prizes and raffles, too. For more information, contact Nick Saffield at

THE BARNESVILLE Hospital Scramble will be played on Aug. 2 at Belmont Hills Country Club. A shotgun start will be held at 10 a.m. and awards and dinner are slated for 3 p.m. The 17th annual event is the largest fundraiser of the year for the hospital auxiliary.

The cost to enter is $120 per player and it includes golf, lunch, dinner, prizes and refreshments on the course. There are also four levels of sponsorships available.

For more information, conact David Phillips at 740-425-5101 or via email at dphillips@barnesvillehospital.com