As it pertains to the Belmont Hills Country Club Member-Guest Tournament, Steve Mercer and Ryan Tomolonis have been on the doorstep of the coveted green jacket many times.

Actually, the duo, which has been playing together for 12 years in the event, had claimed its flight championship in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018.

One trend continued for the pair. They didn’t win their flight in an odd year, but because of a format change and an at-large bid to the championship round, Mercer and Tomolonis’ score of 24.5 was good enough to earn a spot.

They didn’t waste their opportunity.

When the dust settled at BHCC last Saturday afternoon, Mercer and Tomolonis took down overall top seed John Timko and Sam Armann, who won the fourth flight with 28.5 points, thanks to a two-putt birdie from Tomolonis.

Tomolonis, who is a principal at a school in Kentucky and a product of Beallsville High School, drove the green on the par 4, ninth hole, putting his team in position to close it out.

Before reaching the final match, the Mercer-Tomolonis team took down third flight champions Kevin Abel and Mike Merritt in the semi-final round. The Abel and Merritt duo edged the winners out in a playoff for the flight crown.

The other teams in the championship round were first flight champion Vic Wood and Roger Waialae along with second-flight champions Dave Murphy and Kelvin Girty.

While Mercer and Tomolonis wore the green jackets that are presented annually to the champions, several other players won a prize throughout the weekend, which began on Thursday.

The Thursday Best Ball event was captured by Ted Showalter and Dan Wassick with a 58. They were a shot better than Zach Azallion and J.C. Thrash. Mercer and Tomolonis began their week with a solid third-place showing.

Tyler David won the closest to the pin on No. 14 on Thursday.

Showalter and Wassick won the alternate shot tournament on Friday, two shots better than Azallion and Thrash.

Bill Finnical was the winner of the Great Par 3 Shootout. Dan Wassick was third and Showalter finished fourth, while Armannn was fifth.

John Estadt and Bob Bentley captured the 10 & uner Pool of the Field event, while Phil Pata Jr. and Jeff Thrash finished second.

Shawn Monroe and Badyn Woodford tied the Wassicks for the couples putting event.

The team putting contest went to Clay Wood and Alan Wood, while Showalter and Wassick were second. Tom Wood and Bob Spencer finished third, while Rick Riccadonna and Ron Higgins rounded out the placers in fourth.

OGLEBAY PARK GOLF CLUB

The Main Street Bank Club Championship was held last weekend with the opening round being played on the challenging Palmer Course, while Crispin hosted the second round.

Bob Clark and Bryan Myers ran away from the field, shooting in red numbers in both rounds. Clark won the overall title by two shots over Myers with a score of 138, which was good for four under.

Mike Wilson, Richard Humphrey and Mike Wetzel all tied for third with a two-day score of 145, which is 3-over. Brooke Garrison and Freddie Fitzsimmons tied for sixth at four-over.

Jay Davis finished in solo eighth, while Penn Kurtz and George Templin tied for ninth.

The tournament was also broken down in flighted competition.

James Dailer shot 72 and 74 to win the First Flight by eight shots over Mark Maguire Sr.

Bob Custer claimed the Second Flight with a 5-over total by a shot over Gary Kiedaisch.

Ray Hornick and Larry Bonar tied for the Third Flight victory with a 16-over par score.

Harry Himrod was the Fourth Flight champion with a score of 166.

Day One skill prizes went to: Rusty Fonner (longest putt), Phil DeMailo (closest to the pin), Hunter Travis (closest to the pin), DeMailo (closest to the pin), Mike Kolakowski (closest to the pin), Rob Druschel (closest to the pin) and Ray McKenzie (closest to the pin).

Day Two skill prizes were claimed by Bill Mumley (closest to the pin), Joe Ernst (longest putt made), Jay Davis (closest to the pin), John Dalek (closest to the pin0, Mark Maguire (closest to the pin), Brooke Garrison (closest to the pin) and Druschel (longest putt made).

CINDY O’DONNELL

MEMORIAL SCRAMBLE

When Patrick O’Donnell set out to begin the Cindy O’Donnell Memorial Scramble, which is named for his late mother, he wanted to — first and foremost — honor his mom while raising some money for a scholarship in her honor. Secondly, he wanted to help promote the game of golf.

Currently a PGA Professional in Minneapolis, the 2010 Shadyside High School graduate is preparing for the second annual event, which will be held on Aug. 17 at Belmont Hills Country Club.

The scramble benefits the Cindy O’Donnell Foundation, which Patrick started in 2017 with the help of many of his child-hood friends.

“This is always something I have dreamed of doing after losing my mom,” Patrick said in a release. “It’s amazing that we are now in our second year and we look forward to another strong year after a successful first event.”

The foundation presented its first scholarship this spring to Jacob Wharry, a Shadyside High School graduate, in the amount of $5,000. Wharry will enroll at West Virginia University this fall.

“We had several great applicants, all of whom were very deserving,” O’Donnell said. “Jacob’s story just resonated with our whole team and we could not be happier to award this scholarship to him.”

Along with the scholarship, the foundation made a $1,000 donation to the American Cancer Society in Cindy’s honor.

“We had tremendous support from the entire Ohio Valley in 2018 and we continue to see that support this year,” O’Donnell pointed out. “This will be another successful year thanks to this amazing community.”

To enter the scramble, the fee is $300 per team, which includes golf, cart, skill prizes, lunch, dinner, awards and beverages.

For more information on sponsorships or to enter a team in the event, please contact Patrick O’Donnell at 740-827-6720 or via email at podonnell@thecindyofoundation.com

WHEELING PARK GOLF CLUB

The Bob and Patty Hoffman Memorial event was held and Mark Maguire prevailed with a round of 35. He was a shot better than Phil Demailo and two better than Rich Colley. Larry Goodnight finished fourth with a 37 and Stephen Gretchen was fifth with a 38.

In the handicap scoring, Robbie Evans prevailed with a 34, while Rodney Eikey was second with a 35. Joe Haught was third with a 35 and John Bryan was fourth with a 36 as Bob Green was fifth with the 36.

The Buddy Club BR Memorial 2-Man Scramble was held on July 7. Davis and Wetzel won by 10 shots over Klamut and Decrease. Haught and Demalio were third with a 66, while Hartline and Colley were fourth with a 70.

Handdicap scoring title went to Bommer and Mercer with a 55. They were two shots better than Ennis and Green and Druschel and Lightner.

The 19th Hole Allen Kage Memorial event was held on July 10. Jay Davis won with a 32, while Stephen Gretchen was second with a 34 and Steve Usenick was third with a 35. Rodney Eikey was fourth with a 36 and Rich Colley was fifth with a 36.

Ennis claimed the handicap scoring with a 31, while Dave Stauver was second with a 31 and Doug Miller was third with a 32.

BELMONT HILLS

JUNIOR TOURNAMENT

The annual event will be held on Monday, July 22 at Belmont Hills and feature three age groups (17-18, 14-16 and 12-13) for boys and two age groups (15-18 and 12-14) for girls. Awards will be presented to the top three finishers in all boys and girls divisions. The entry fee is $30 and checks can be made payable to Barnesville Golf Parents. Lunch will be provided to all competitors and is available for purchase to spectators.

The event will begin at 9 a.m. with a shotgun start and the deadline for entry is Monday, July 15.

For more information, call Nick Bauman at 740-827-2794 or via email at nbauman740@gmail.com

UPCOMING SCRAMBLES

THE ANNUAL Tom Donahue Memorial Classic Golf Scramble will be held at BecWood Hills on Saturday, July 27. The entry fee is $60 per player or $240 per team. The cost includes cart, golf, food, refreshments, prizes and door prizes. Signup is at 8 a.m. For more information, contact Bill Wilson at 740-391-9841, Buzz Donahue at 740-676-4110 or Dick Johnson at 740-359-2301.

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