The Ohio Open Championship plays no favorites.
Countless players in the field of 288 can win. He can be a professional, an amateur, a senior player, or a young person still in college.
That has been proven over the years, and the 105th playing of one of the state’s most prestigious events could follow that pattern when play gets underway on Monday on the North and Fazio Courses of Firestone Country Club.
Perhaps that’s one of the beauties of the Ohio Open Championship.
Nine former Ohio Open champions, ranging in age from 23-year-old Jordan Gilkison (Springboro, 2022) to 65-year-old Chris Black (Lancaster, 1998), have entered for 2026, which is the 80th year of the Northern Ohio Professional Golfers Assn., which has conducted the Open since 1983.
The former champions, the site, and their residence when winning, who are entered in the 2026 field:
2025 Will Grimmer, Firestone Country Club, Dayton
2022 Jordan Gilkison, Westfield Country Club, Springboro
2021 Jake McBride, Westfield Country Club, Uniontown
2020 Alex Weiss, Fox Meadow/Weymouth, Pickerington
2019 Stephen Gangluff, Fox Meadow/Weymouth, Bellefontaine
2018 Stephen Gangluff, Fox Meadow/Weymouth, Bellefontaine
2016 TT Crouch, Westfield Country Club, Fredericktown
2010 Bob Sowards, Quail Hollow Country Club, Dublin
2005 Rob Moss, Barrington/Club Walden, Broadview Hts.
2004 Bob Sowards. Barrington/Club Walden, Dublin
2002 Bob Sowards, Tam O’Shanter, Dublin
2001 Rob Moss, Tam O’Shanter, Broadview Hts.
1999 Rob Moss, Tam O’Shanter, Broadview Hts.
1998 Chris Black, Tam O’Shanter, Lancaster
THINK ABOUT THIS: The 105th Ohio Open has attracted players from approximately 100 cities and nearly half of the state’s 88 counties.
THEY CAN WIN: As stated above, there is a strong number of players capable of winning the Open. Here is a random list of players to keep an eye on with a nod to some of the former champions.
Will Grimmer, Cincinnati, 29: The reigning champion shot three straight rounds of 66 for a total of 14-under 198. Shot 69-66-76=211 (T27) in 2022 and 68-72=140 (T21) in the rain-shortened 2021 event.
Vaughn Harber, Blacklick, 20: The Ohio State junior played in the U.S. Open last week but missed the cut after rounds of 75-77 (+14). Was the 2025 Open runner-up to Will Grimmer with rounds of 63-69-68=200 . . . He led the Ohio State men with a 71.97 average as a sophomore with nine rounds in the 60s. Was second in scoring on the team as a freshman at 72.94 . . . Won the OHSAA state championship in 2023, going 69-66=135 on the Scarlet Course for a 36-hole scoring record.
Jake McBride, Mooresville, NC, 31: The former resident of Hartville was the 2021 champion with rounds of 62-67=129 with his 62 being the second-lowest score in recent history. He tied for third in 2025 (69-66-68=203), four shots behind winner Will Grimmer. In his other Open appearance, he finished eighth (72-69-65=206) at Westfield in 2023 and was T4 in 2022, 67-70-66, also at WCC. Jake is now an assistant coach at Catawba College. Spent time on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Troy Taylor II, Westerville, 26: Yes, he is the son of former Ohio State and Canton McKinley basketball star, but he was a solid member of the Michigan State golf team from 2019-2023 . . . He posted his best Open finish in 2025, when he finished T3 with rounds of 66-68-69=203, five shots behind the winner. Was T9 in 2023 (69-70-68=207) and T39 in 2022 (70-72-71=213). Appeared twice as an amateur (2019-2020).
Nate Tarter, Akron, 35: The Mogadore native and Malone University graduate has shot 11 rounds in the 60s in seven Open appearances. Now an assistant professional at Chippewa Golf Club, his best Open finish came in 2018 when he went 69-66-69=204 to finish second to Stephen Gangluff. Was T6 in 2025 with rounds of 68-68-70=206.
Mikkel Mathiesen, Fairborn, 25: After a standout career at Wright State University, the native of Esbjerg, Denmark, has had some success in the Ohio Open. His best finish came in 2022 when he was second by one shot to Jordan Gilkison with rounds of 6y9-65-67=201 at Westfield. He overcame a slow start to finish T13 last year at 72-67-69=208.
Stephen Gangluff, Bellefontaine, 50: The two-time Ohio Open champion (2018-2019) recently won the Ohio Senior Open on the Fazio Course with rounds of 63-68-131 (-9). Was T30 in the 2025 Open (72-66-73=211) and T10 in 2017 (63-74-73=210). As you can see, he is capable of going low. In 2018 & 2019, he shot four of six rounds in the 60s, including a pair of 64s.
Bob Sowards, PGA, Dublin, 58: Don’t let his age fool you. Arguably, the best Senior player in Ohio has three Ohio Open (2002, 2004, 2010) and a remarkable six Ohio Senior Open titles (2025, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019) to his credit, with his Senior titles coming on the Fazio Course.
Jim Troy, PGA, Strongsville, 45: Currently stands first in the standings in an attempt to win a seventh Rolex NOPGA Player-of-the-Year Award. He is the reigning Denny Shute Match Play Champ and has two wins and four top-five finishes this season.
Blake Sattler, Dover, 42: Is in the midst of a second straight strong season with four victories, one runner-up, and two thirds in either solo or team events this season. The assistant professional at Brookside Country Club stands first in the Rolex NOPGA Associate Player-of-the-Year standings after three top-three finishes since joining the Section.
Howard Clendenin, Fairlawn, 56: Yes, he is a Senior player, and yes, he is an amateur, but he knows the Firestone layouts as well as anyone in the field, and he is a tenacious competitor. He has twice been runner-up in the Ohio Senior Open and has broken 70 eight times in 13 rounds.
Jordan Gilkison, Springboro, 23: Has not cashed since winning the Open in 2022 with rounds of 72-63-65=200 — with the 63 being one of the lowest rounds in tournament history – and a T18 finish (70-71-68-209) in 2022.
Alex Weiss, Pickerington, 30: Won the 2020 Ohio Open Championship with rounds of 64-70-69=203 after a runner-up finish after a stunning final-round 61 got him into a playoff with eventual winner Stephen Gangluff, both at 200. His 61 is the “lowest known” rounds in Open history, sharing that honor with Akron’s Ryan Gutowski.
Jaysen Hansen, PGA, Twinsburg, 47: He has been one of the top players in the NOPGA dating to 2009 when he won the first of his three Player-of-the-Year Awards. He has finished in the top three in that category 11 times, with five runner-up finishes. Best finish in the Ohio Open was T7 in 2022 (69-68-67=204).
Randy Dietz, PGA, Tallmadge, 47: His new knee seems to be coming along as he is off to a solid 2026 with two runnerup and one third-place finish in the NOPGA stroke play events. He was the NOPGA Player-of-the-Year in 2019 and has finished twice two other times and is second on the current list. A grinder and a competitor. echelons of the Ohio Amateur rankings after winning the 2026 Northeast Ohio Amateur Championship in a playoff with Logan Sutto to become the first back-to-back winner of the event since 1991. Persevered after a T17 start and posted rounds of 68-69 for a 208 total. Was in the hunt in the Ohio Open last year after starting 62-69, but a final-round 80 doomed him to a T30 finish. His best Open finish was T15 in 2024 (72-66-68=206).
TT Crouch, Fredericktown, 34: The highly-respected instructor in Mount Vernon and former Korn Ferry player has been an Ohio Open regular since winning the 2016 event at Westfield CC with rounds of 63-70-67=200, with the 63 being one of the lowest in known event history. He has eight other top-20 finishes with 11 rounds in the 60s. Shot 66 in last year’s second round, but it was sandwiched between a 70 and 73.
Jack Vojtko, Stow, 20: The Ohio State junior and former Archbishop Hoban standout emerged when he finished fourth in the 2023 Open with rounds of 67-66071-204. Played in all 13 spring events at OSU and posted a 73.59 average with four top-10 finishes. Shot 66 to win the prestigious East Lake Cup.
Logan Sutto, Monclova, 20: The Butler University junior has had a productive summer, finishing second to Nolan Haynes in a playoff in the Northeast Ohio Amateur and leading the Miami Valley Metropolitan Championship through 54 holes.
Anthony Panepento, PGA, Seven Hills, 27: One of the promising young players in the NOPGA, the Wooster native and assistant pro at Canterbury came on strong in 2025 with one win, two top-3s, and seven top 10s. Posted his first victory in a NOPGA major when he defeated Jim Troy, 6-and-5, to win the Denny Shute Memorial Match Play Championship at Portage. Defeated some notable players along the way. Has three top-5 finishes in solo and individual events this year and currently stands third on the Rolex NOPGA Player-of-the-Year standings.
Jake Scott, Strongsville, 38: Has twice finished as the Open runnerup, in 2017 two shots to Chase Wilson and in 2024 by one shot to Drew Salyers. Has had three other top-six finishes.
Cayse Morgan, North Bend, 19: The Xavier University sophomore had a phenomenal freshman season as he was the medalist in the Big East tournament and was named both the conference freshman and player of the year. Shot 8-under 64 in the conference tournament, the lowest round to par in conference history. A graduate of the strong Cincinnati Elder program.
Brett Podobinski, Dublin, 22: The two-time all-Mid-American Conference player from Miami shot 70-71-77=218 to finish T66 in 2026, his long Open appearance. He averaged 73.06 strokes and had three top-15 finishes.
Rob Moss, PGA, Broadview Heights, 57: He is a three-time winner of the Open (1999, 2001, 2005) and a NOPGA Hall-of-Famer. The head professional at the Pepper Pike Club has won just about everything as a Section professional during a marvelous 36-year career. He is a five-time Section champion, a five-time Player-of-the-Year, a two-time Mitchell-Haskell Tour Champion, a three-time Denny Shute Match Play Champ, and has represented the NOPGA 19 times in the Ohio Cup Matches.
Chris Black, Lancaster, 65: The 1998 Open champion will be the oldest player in the field, but has been a mainstay in the Open and the Ohio Senior Open ever since.
