The Greater Cincinnati Golf Association has updated its player of the year points standings and three former northern Kentucky high school golfers are in the top 15 in the race for 2024 GCGA Player of the Year.
Former Ryle High School golfer Chris Harpum parlayed his win at the 115th Tony Blom Metropolitan Amateur Championship into 150 points, which alone is good for fourth in the player of the year standings. Harpum, who golfs at the University of Cincinnati, was previously in second place before the update, trailing only Brock Rumpke. Harpum has played in just the one GCGA event.
With new results, Rumpke has moved down to No. 2, giving way to fellow Maketewah Country Club golfer Alex Rodger, who has risen to No. 1 with 236.67 points on the strength of a recent win in three events. Rodger is a three-time GCGA player of the year. Harpum, affiliated with Triple Crown Country Club in Union, trails Rodger by 86.67 points. Exactly 100 golfers are in the rankings.
One-time Bluebird Cracks Top 10
Former Highlands High School golfer Luke Muller, now playing at Northern Kentucky University, is having a successful golfing summer. He has moved to No. 9 in the GCGA player of the year points standings, signifying his place as one of Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky’s top locally competing amateur golfers. Muller, a senior this season for the Norse, has accrued 117.5 points. His high placement in the standings this summer is seventh.
Muller, affiliated with Highland Country Club in Fort Thomas, has played in a pair of GCGA events. He tied for eighth at the 84th Northern Kentucky Amateur Championship and was awarded 67.5 points. He made it to the Round of 16 at the Metropolitan and received 50 points.
Muller, wrapping up action today at the Golfweek Hoosier Amateur in Bloomington, Indiana, said he has completed play on the GCGA Tour this summer and expects to earn no more points in the standings. The NKU fall golf schedule begins Sept. 8 at Marshall University.
“I’m finishing the Hoosier Amateur today and heading home,” said Muller, who was in 15th place after Wednesday’s first round. “The (NKU) golf season starts in a month.”
Former Jaguar Holding Steady
Rylan Wotherspoon, the former Cooper golfer now with the Cincinnati Bearcats, is 14th in the GCGA player of the year standings, down one spot from 13. Wotherspoon, affiliated with Traditions Golf Club in Hebron, has 95 points in two events. He received 50 points for his Round of 16 finish at the Metropolitan and 45 points for a 12th-place tie at the Northern Kentucky Amateur.
Sweeney Paces Local Seniors, Lovell Leads Ladies
Ed Steiber of Miami View Golf Club in Ohio leads the GCGA senior points standings with 230. He is a five-time GCGA senior player of the year. The highest-ranking northern Kentucky senior is Traditions Golf Club’s Jim Sweeney, who is in 11th place with 120 points. Sweeney was previously eighth in the standings. David Foster of Highland Country Club is 13th with 85 points. He was previously seventh.
In the GCGA women’s player of the year points standings, Notre Dame Academy golfer Natalie Lovell representing E Club Kentucky is tied for eighth with 90 points. That’s 110 behind leader Allison Gonring (200) of Maketewah. Lovell was previously tied for seventh. Gonring was women’s player of the year in 2022.
Elsewhere around the links:
Locals Hunt For Spots At U.S. Mid-Amateur
Ludlow’s Kevin Kim turned in the lowest score among locals at Tuesday’s U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifier at The Camargo Club in Cincinnati. Kim was among five golfers scoring 1-over-par 71 at the USGA event for a top 12 finish. He carded four birdies and shot even-par 35 on the back nine.
Kim fell two shots short of being in on the action as an alternate at the 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur. The event for 264 competitors is Sept. 21-26 at two venues in Virginia including the championship site at Kinloch Golf Club in Manakin-Sabot. Kim qualified for last year’s event in New York out of Traditions Golf Club in Hebron.
Four players all with scores of 68 or better qualified at Camargo including golfers from Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois. Scores of 69 qualified for available second alternate spots. Union’s Fred Geraci fired a 2-over 72. The local veteran carded two birdies on the front nine and shot 35 on the back nine.
The U.S. Mid-Amateur is open to any amateur golfer who has reached their 25th birthday as of Sept. 21 and whose Handicap Index does not exceed 2.4.
U.S. Mid-Amateur Women’s Qualifying
Hebron’s Martha Leach just missed qualifying and earned second alternate status at Tuesday’s U.S. Mid-Amateur Women’s Qualifier at Camargo. Leach shot 7-over 78 for a sixth-place tie. The top four qualifiers from Ohio, Kentucky and Florida and the first alternate all shot 77 or better.
The 39th U.S. Women’s Mid-Am for 132 competitors is Sept. 7-12 at Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton, Massachusetts. Qualifying for the event is open to any female golfer who has reached her 25th birthday by September 7 and whose Handicap Index does not exceed 9.4.
Stephens Golf Center Takes On The Met Mid-Am
Fred Geraci prepped for his U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifying round by taking on the Golf Club at Stonelick Hills in Batavia at last week’s 24th Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Mid-Am Championship. Playing out of Burlington’s Stephens Golf Center, he was the top northern Kentucky finisher with a two-day total gross score of 1-under-par 143. That was six shots behind winner Alex Rodger. Geraci shot 2-under 70 the first round with an eagle-3 on No. 9 and three birdies. He had three more birdies the second day.
Geraci, 46, was competing alongside two fellow Stephens Golf Center players. Rob Chappell, 37, tied for 12th at the Met Mid-Am at 2-over 146. His 68 the first day tied for the lead. He had an eagle-3 and four birdies the first day and one birdie the next day.
Matt Bowlin, 48, tied for 18th with a score of 5-over 149 and earned birdie bragging rights among the three. Bowlin had three birdies the first day and four the next for a total of seven birdies during the two-round event. Together, the Stephens Golf Center group occupied three of the top 19 spots in a field of 55.
Catacoras Runner-Up At Parent Junior Championship
Nine-year-old Cole Catacora and father Domanic Catacora teamed up for a second-place finish at late July’s Parent Junior Championship at The Practice Center at ClearCreek in Franklin, Ohio.
Cole, in the class of 2032 at Fort Thomas Independent Schools, was eligible for the event through his involvement with the Greater Cincinnati Golf Association 1905 Junior Tour. He competed with his father, the longtime golf director at Twin Oaks Golf Course in Covington. Together, they shot 2-over 76 to finish one stroke behind the winners in the boys ages 7-12 event.
