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Scarsella, Karzmer finish under par to start Greatest tournament
By Greg Gulas
Greatest Golfer 2015 - Mill Creek
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Highlights from day 1 of the Greatest Golfer of the Valley competition at Mill Creek Golf Course.
Greatest Golfer of the Valley Mill Creek Golf Course
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BOARDMAN
The sixth annual Farmers National Bank Greatest Golfer of the Valley competition got underway Friday with 300 golfers in 10 divisions taking part at Mill Creek’s North and South courses.
Highlighting opening round action was John Scarsella in the Super Senior Open Division and Jonah Karzmer in the Pete Mollica Men’s Open Division as the only two to shoot under par.
(CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF FRIDAY SCORES, SATURDAY TEE TIMES)
The 70-year old Scarsella, a 1960 Cardinal Mooney High School graduate and Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam, had the best opening round as he shot a 67 on the North course.
Just 10 weeks removed from knee replacement surgery, he said it felt really good to once again play competitively after being forced to the sidelines due to bad knees.
He also credited orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Brian Williams of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Warren, for getting his game back on course, pain-free and then getting him back on the course in a little less than three months, post-surgery.
“It’s a great feeling to be pain-free and playing once again and I owe that to Dr. [Brian] Williams,” he said. “I played a bogey-free round and hadn’t done that in quite some time. The course was in great shape, the greens terrific and after not playing for a few years, it felt good to be re-grooving my swing. Golf’s a funny game. Very humbling. And while I had a couple good bounces and a few good putts today, I’ll just take it one shot at a time on Saturday and hope for the best.
“Youngstown has always been a great golf town, and there are so many excellent golfers throughout the Mahoning Valley. The Super Senior and Senior fields are loaded so I am humbled by my score today,” he added.
Vindicator editor Todd Franko, producer of the event, called opening round action one of the very best to date.
“This is as good an opening day as we have had in the six-year history of the event. Mother Nature played a big part, as did the great people at Mill Creek Golf Course who had the crew out at 2:30 a.m., when they started working on the greens,” Franko said. “The entire course was in great shape.”
Karzmer, who was playing in his fourth Greatest Golfer event, is the 2013 Men’s Open Division champion. His 1-under 69 topped the division.
“The course played good and was pretty much what I expected,” he said. “The tees were back, pin placements strategically placed but not unfair. You weren’t scared of the speed of the greens. I feel like I am stealing Uncle Milty’s [Glenn Milton] spot because he’s usually in the lead at this time. The scores are relatively close and the second day will separate the field, then paired for Sunday’s finals. It’s a good spot to be in as I would rather be winning by a stroke than losing by a stroke.”
Milton shot an opening round 78 and sits nine shots off the lead.
In women’s Open Division play, Ariel Witmer’s 76 leads former YSU golf standout Katie Rogner (81) by five strokes with the two players set to go head to head the entire weekend.
Rogner, a Fowler native who also played scholastically at Warren JFK, lives in Toledo and is an engineer at General Motors.
Going head-to-head with Witmer is nothing new for either golfer.
“We played Junior Golf together and both of us currently live out of town, so it’s nice to be back home and competing against her once again,” Rogner said. “I’ve been playing for fun and my father, who still resides in the Mahoning Valley, tries to meet me halfway once a week or so we can get in a round or two. I was a little jittery today, but getting back to playing competitively makes me want to play even more. The greens were a challenge today so on Saturday, I just need to get my putts rolling. I also need to get my short game back in order.”
The shot of the day belonged to Rick Kinkela, owner of Rolling Hills Golf Course in Pulaski, Pa.
Though his 78 leaves him nine shots back in the Men’s Open Division, he scored the first ace since 2011 and registered just the second one in the tournament’s history.
His shot sailed right into the cup on the 14th hole from 199 yards out.
“I used a 5-iron and hit it just right,” he stated.
Hubbard native Brian Tolnar, in his first year as Mill Creek Golf Course’s PGA Director of Golf, said the Greatest Golfer of the Valley is one of two tournaments it will host this year with more than 300 participants.
“I wish they had this tournament back when I was growing up. This is a diehard group, passionate about the game and one of the last remaining stroke play tournaments,” Tolnar said. “The greens held their own today, but were much quicker if you got on the wrong side.”
The 54-hole competition continues today with second-round play slated for Youngtown Country Club, Tippecanoe Country Club, Trumbull Country Club and Oaktree Country Club.
The field will then be paired to the final 100 for Sunday’s championship round, which is scheduled for the Lake Club.