MOUNDSVILLE — Area junior players got another tuneup for their upcoming seasons last week when Moundsville Country Club hosted its annual Honeywell Junior Golf Tournament.

An impressive field of male and female players took part in the event on the par 70 layout.

Winning the overall and 17 and 18 year old title was Payne Johnson with a 75. Brendan Vucelich also posted a 75, but finished second after a playoff. Luke Krol was third in the age group with a round of 81.

In the 15 and 16 year old division, Matthew Douglas prevailed with a round of 80. Also posting an 80 was J.C. Maxwell. Trenton Harris was third in the group with a round of 81 and James Salvatori was fourth with an 82.

The boys 13 and 14 year old title was also settled in a playoff with Ben Wilson fighting off Mason Orndorff. Both posted an 83. Colton Sprowls was third with an 87.

In the 12 and under bracket, Joseph Condon was the champion by four shots over Andrew Pennybacker. Condon posted a round of 87. Drew Wilson finished third.

Emily Holzopfel was five shots clear of Sierra Knowlton to win the girls 15-18 year old division. Brooke Chamberlain finished third with a round of 92, while Libby Murin was fourth with a 96.

WHEELING PARK GOLF CLUB

The Play it Again Sports Club Championship was held last weekend. The two-day event was stroke play. Stephen Gretchen captured the championship with rounds of 68 and 67. He ran away from the field.

Joe Wurtzbacher was second with a two-day total of 146, which was also what Mike Brickner posted for third. Chris Bommer was fourth with a 147 and Steve Usenick was fifth with a 148.

In the handicap scoring portion of the event, Art Lightner was the winner with a round of 133, while Tony Coppa was second with a 141. Jim Druschel was third with a 141. Bill Piccard was fourth with a 141 and Gary Mercer was fifth with a 142.

On July 24th, the Ed Yahn Memorial was held. Lightner prevailed with a 33 by a shot over Rich Humphrey. Gretchen finished third with a 36 and Larry Goodnight was fourth with a 37. Mike Brickner was fifth with a 39.

Bommer was the champion of the handicap scoring with a 32, while Tom Mitchell was second with a 33. George Melnik was third with a 33 and Wurtzbacher was fourth. Bruce Melnik was fifth with a 34.

The Glass Unlimited Bestball/Scramble was held with the duo of Lightner and Roger Kupfer prevailing with a round of 61. They were six shots better than Bommer and Mercer, who signed for a 67.

Nick Klamut and Ron Heatherly were third with a 61, while Dick Moore and D. Stauver were fourth with a 71.

In the handicap scoring portion of the event, Ennis and Green won by a scorecard playoff over Wurtzbacher and Usenick. Both teams posted a round of 58. Bryan and Carmichael were third with a 61.

ACE

DONALD “Bubba” ALEXANDER recorded a hole-in-one at Fairway River Links in Rayland. He aced the 120-yard, par 3, fifth with a 9-iron.

His feat was witnessed by Richard Cross and Frankie Biega.

PREP GOLF HALL OF FAME

CAMBRIDGE HIGH School head golf coach Kevin Smith will be inducted to the Ohio High School Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame this year.

Smith has guided the Bobcats to 15 district tournament appearances and a state berth in 2003 and 04. His team won the OVAC title in 2017 and no fewer than 10 of his players have gone on to play collegiately.

Smith is highly active in the coaches’ association. He serves as president of both the Ohio High School and Eastern District Coaches Associations. He’s also worked at the OHSAA State Tournament for 15 years as a rules official.

The Bobcats’ squad is expected to be led, this season, by Ian Smith. He’s the son of the head coach.

JUNIOR GOLF

McKenzie Miller, who is the daughter of Mike “Muck” Miller — a 1984 Shadyside High School graduate — recently placed second in an event in Central Ohio. She participated in the COGA Tour Showcase event at the Apple Valley Golf Club. Miller is entering the eighth grade in the Hilliard Bradley school district.

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