Ohio Golf Journal July 2019

THE PROS ARE WINDING DOWN, BUT THE GOLF SEASON IS JUST BEGINNING IN OHIO FRED ALTVATER You are a Golfaholic if: You take your Grandson on a four-day Golf Trip for his 16th Birthday. Two things that don’t last, dogs that chase cars and pros that putt for pars...... It has been a long, cold and wet Spring in the north, and we are glad summer has finally graced us with her presence. Although the 4th of July Holiday just came and went, the PGA Tour is sliding into the conclusion of its 2019 season. The compressed season has pushed three of the major championships into the first six months of the year, as well as, The PLAYERS Championship. The only major remaining is The OPEN Championship that will be held in Ireland at Royal Portrush for the first time since 1951. The OPEN has been sold out for months and even though they found several thousand more tickets, they sold those, as well. This promises to be a historical event and one not to be missed. Tiger Woods came very close last year at Carnoustie, but faltered at the end, giving Francesco Molinari his first major title. With Brooks Koepka seemingly the man to beat at any major affair, can Tiger, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose or any of the other top names keep up with Koepka? July is also a perfect time to visit Michigan for great golf. The nights are cooler, and the days are longer, just right for playing golf on some of the best courses in the world. The Champions Tour will be coming to Ohio this month for the inaugural Senior Players Championship at Firestone Country Club. Historic Firestone has hosted major championships and regular PGA Tour tournaments since 1954. It will be great to see the familiar names from the Champions Tour players walk the fairways at venerable Firestone again. Will Steve Stricker continue his dominance of the Champions Tour’s major championships to collect his 3rd major title of the year, or will Charles Schwab Cup leader Scott McCarron grab the fourth major of the Champions Tour schedule? Even though the professional tours are winding down their 2019 campaigns, there is still a lot of golf to be played. Have fun and sign up for an outing today to help a charity in your hometown. I might even see you on the Back 9. Lee Trevino Ohio Golf Journal