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McDevitt wins women’s competition
By Greg Gulas
CANFIELD
Last summer, Patsy Daltorio had a hard time keeping his four preliminary drives on the grid and failed to qualify for the final of the Greatest Golfer Long Drive Championship.
On Thursday at Tippecanoe Country Club, he owned the grid.
Daltorio was the third-place qualifier in the preliminary round with a 305-yard drive.
And in the three-person championship round, he foisted a 309-yard drive on his first shot. His first shot proved to be the winner as he bested George Rohan III and Jason Murdock.
“Last year, it was more about being too anxious, wanting to do my best and the nerves just took over. Not placing a drive on the grid was a humbling experience,” Daltorio said. “Being able to get that first drive down and then my other three attempts, and to qualify for the finals was an absolutely great feeling.
“To win it all was fantastic.”
Daltorio is the head boys basketball, junior high track and freshman girls volleyball coach at Western Reserve High School.
With a new arrival for him and his wife this past December (son Dante Michael), Daltorio’s golfing time is limited at Reserve Run, which he calls his home course.
“I know a lot of the competitors. But today, it was more about the competition and camaraderie,” he said.
Earning top honors in the women’s division with a 174-yard drive was Katie McDevitt, a 2012 Wilmington College graduate who played softball two years for the Fighting Quakers.
“We needed three people to play, so I had to convince my friend Hannah [Rohrabaugh] in order to have this competition,” McDevitt said. “It was nerve-wracking, but a lot of fun.”
Finishing as runner-up with a 166-yard drive was Rohrabaugh, a Boardman native who will graduate Saturday from Kent State University with her degree in hospitality management.
“It’s been nearly a year since I last swung my club, so it took Katie a long time to convince me that I should play,” Rohrabaugh said. “I’m really glad that I said yes because it was actually a lot of fun.”
Tippecanoe has hosted the event in all its three years. Mother Nature’s recent rains took about 20-30 yards off the drives compared to last year’s less-wet conditions hitting up the No. 18 hole.
In men’s play, Murdock’s preliminary round included a best overall 308-yard missile, while Rohan’s 306-yard launch was second best.
Rohan added a 303-yard drive on his first final attempt, failing to land on the grid with his last three attempts.
The “last-shot” final format gave him one final shot at Daltorio. It landed out of play to finish runner-up.
“I also missed on all four shots last year and while I felt the same today, I was able to keep the ball straight and then qualify for the finals,” Rohan said. “This was a close competition and a lot of fun.”
Murdock finished third with a 280-yard drive in the championship round.
“I’ve missed making the cut every year in the Greatest Golfer of the Valley tournament. But the longest drive serves as a great warm-up for [today’s] tournament,” Murdock said. “Standing around too long might have had an effect on my final four drives, but there’s no excuses.
“This is the best thing to happen to the Valley. No other event around here attracts such a large number of participants and viewers.”
A $10,000 jewelry shopping spree, sponsored by Judy and Monica Rafoth of Adamas Jewelers was on the line for any participant who scored a 325-yard hole-in-one.
“This year’s sponsorship by Adamas Jewelers was for 325 yards with an 8” cup, and they’ve already committed for next year at 300 yards,” said Michael Spiech, Tippecanoe PGA golf pro. “We had over 200 viewers watching the competition so there was plenty of enthusiasm.”
Jeff Crittenden, the new PGA pro at Kensington Golf Club in Canfield who is the No. 3 ranked long-drive competitor in the world, was also on hand to assist with the field.
“This is a grassroots, long-drive competition and believe me when I tell you, we don’t normally have 200 people watching us during our competitions,” he said. “This will only grow and get better.”
The long-drive event sets up the annual 54-hole Farmers National Bank Greatest Golfer of the Valley adult tournament — which plays all day today with nearly 300 golfers at Mill Creek Golf Course. They continue play Saturday at Tippecanoe, Youngstown, Avalon and Oak Tree country clubs. The best 100 advance to The Lake Club on Sunday for the finals.