Ashland High grads Max Watson, Tyler Sabo set to compete in Ohio Amateur Championship

When Max Watson won the Ohio Amateur Championship last summer, he joined an exclusive club that includes the likes of Arnold Palmer and Ben Curtis.

And like those PGA professionals, the Ashland native will be out to see if history repeats itself this upcoming week when he takes the course at Maketeah Country Club in the 116th edition of the event.

A year after winning a thrilling playoff over Dayton's Dhaivat Pandya, Watson and fellow Ashland High graduate Tyler Sabo are scheduled to compete in the 122-player field at the Cincinnati-area course. A practice round for all players is scheduled for July 25, followed by the opening round the next day.

Watson, who is entering his junior season at Eastern Michigan, is no stranger to success on the links as he was an All-Ohioan at AHS, a staple on the junior circuit and has been a key member of an Eagles program that tied for fifth in the Mid-American Conference last season.

But the highlight of his young career came with a strong showing last summer in the Ohio Am, paced by an opening-round 68 and then back-to-back 72s to close with a 3-under 285 before winning a playoff to hold off Pandya and become the second Ashland resident to win the event — joining Steven Paramore (2003).

Like his fellow Ashland grad, Sabo also got experience playing in the longstanding event last July. Sabo also had a strong first round, carding a 76, but failed to make the third-round cut after a two-day score of 160. Sabo also has a strong pedigree in the sport and is set to start his first collegiate season at Ohio State this fall after a successful high school career that included several trips to state and being named Ohio Cardinal Conference Player of the Year three times.

Both locals have already been busy this summer.

Watson competed in the Ohio Open Championship last month at Westfield Group Country Club in a loaded field of professional and amateur players, while Sabo — who won The Memorial Junior back in June by a stroke over Cincinnati’s Finley Bartlett — took part in a U.S. Amateur qualifying tournament at Weymouth Country Club in early July, coming up 14 strokes shy of the final alternate spot.

Two other local golfers took part in Ohio Am qualifiers earlier this summer. Ashland’s Matt Malone fired a 15-over 85 at the Chagrin Valley qualifier, and Kota Ando carded a 10-over 82 at Findlay.

Oh-so-close

Four shots separated Anna Watson of Ashland from one of the two alternate spots for the U.S. Women’s Amateur after the local’s finish in a qualifying tournament in Hudson. Watson, a current Eastern Michigan junior, fired a 74 to come up short of advancing to the national event next month in Washington.

Times-Gazette Junior Golf Championship: Solid scores turned in on first day

Melanie Green shot a 68 to take medalist honors and one of the four qualifying positions, while Jenn David and Vanessa Zhang carded identical 70s for the two alternate spots. Fellow AHS grad Klaira Paramore also took part in the event and finished with an 81.

Former Black River standout David Morgan tied for 15th at a recent Northern Ohio PGA event at Oberlin Golf Club. Morgan, who is the director of golf at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Norwalk, shot a 2-over 74 to finish out of the money and eight shots behind medalist Jim Troy.

Ted Macaulay of Ashland Golf Club recently placed 27th overall in the senior division at the Northern Ohio Golf Association’s stroke play event in Concord. Macaulay shot a 96 on the Devlin Course at Quail Hollow Country Club. Club Walden’s Tom Laubacher posted a one-shot victory with a 70.

Macaulay is scheduled to take part in the Northern Ohio Golf Association’s upcoming stroke play event at Westfield Group Country Club.

Paramore prevails

A strong front nine at Eagle Creek helped Paramore win her third event on the Northern Ohio Junior PGA Series. Paramore finished shooting even-par 71, thanks to a 34 on the front side of the course, to take a five-shot victory over Kent's Madolyn Kost. She also placed first at Catawba Island Club and Ashland Golf Club earlier this summer and tied for 17th last month at the Hudson Junior Invitational.

Fellow Ashland golfer Emma Packard also has been busy on the Junior Series circuit, recently tying for 10th at Fox Den and placing 14th at Fox Meadow.

Ashland’s Kamden Mowry and Northwestern’s Kylee Purdy both took part in the recent 36-hole NOPGA Junior Championship at Windmill Lakes.

Mowry put together a consistent two rounds en route to an 8-over 148, good for a sixth-place finish in the 16-19 age group and a tie for seventh overall.

Purdy, a state qualifier last fall, bounced back from a tough opening round to tie for 10th in her age division and 16th overall in the field with a 23-over 163. She took part in the first NOPGA Collegiate Preview event earlier this week at Youngstown Country Club, tying for 17th overall with a 13-over 84.

Speaking of the NOPGA Series, Mapleton grad Evan Dennison has one top-10 finish in nine events this summer, shooting a 79 to finish fifth at Catawba Island Club.

Loudonville grad Owen Hinkle has been competing on the North Coast Junior Tour this summer, highlighted by a ninth-place finish at The Tanglewood Club in Chagrin Falls.

Upcoming events

With the high school golf season a little over a week away from starting, some of the area's top girls players will be on display at the annual Ohio Girls Golf Foundation's High School Showcase.

Ashland’s Kyah Huckleberry and Packard will compete as individuals in the one-day event at Avon Oaks Country Club on July 25. Twelve teams and 24 individuals are slated to compete.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland grad Max Watson seeking to defend Ohio Am golf title