The night before the first tee shot of the 29th Ohio Cup, the men’s grill at Wedgewood Golf & Country Club was full and, unusually, silent. No post-round stories, no laughter echoing off the wood-paneled walls. Just a stillness, the kind that makes an already meaningful competition feel even larger.
With his team gathered around, Southern Ohio PGA Captain Bob Sowards pressed play on a short video message from the greatest to ever hold a golf club: Jack Nicklaus.
Jack spoke of pride, of the glory of match play. Of playing for something beyond yourself. When the Golden Bear tells you to go out and play with purpose, you listen. And late Wednesday afternoon, after two long days of golf, those words seemed to hang in the autumn air as the final singles matches came down to the wire.
The day began with the final holes of foursomes play, unfinished from the previous evening’s rain. That type of rain that seeps into your shoes and stays there till morning. A chill greeted the 32 competitors but soon gave way to one of those flawless Ohio fall days. The foursomes wrapped quickly, as if the players were eager to get ahead to the main event. That session finished in favor of Southern Ohio, who won five of the eight available points to extend its lead, 9.5 to 6.5.
In singles, Captain Sowards led from the front again. His 4&3 win pushed his team into double digits, creating a bit of breathing room. Moments later, Michael Auterson delivered another crucial point to keep the momentum going, his best kind of redemption after a 2025 season full of near-misses.
For the better part of an hour, the scoreboard glowed Southern Ohio blue. Then Northern Ohio pushed back, its middle-order singles charging hard. On the 18th green, Jack’s words returned.
Sam Arnold arrived needing a birdie to halve his match with Northern Ohio’s captain Mitch Camp. Bang–right in the middle. Tie.
Five minutes later, Joe Moore found himself in the exact same situation, facing a right-to-left slider that everyone else left short and low. Not Joe! The moment it left his putter it was good. Another half point flipped.
Rookie Andrew Martin stood in the middle of 18 fairway in need of some help to halve his match against Cory Kumpf. He got it and added another half point.
Then came Chad Ammer. Southern Ohio sat on 15 points, a point and a half shy of victory. When Tony Adcock’s layup found water, Ammer seized his chance: a perfect layup, a tidy wedge to the middle of the green and a legendary lag putt that led to a concession. Southern Ohio was suddenly within half a point of the Cup.
They didn’t wait long. Minutes later, Ben Kern rolled in his third birdie of the day, going dormie 3-up on Jasen Hansen and clinching the decisive half point.
“The Ohio Cup is always close,” said Sowards, trophy in hand. “It never fails that it comes down to the final matches every year. I’m already looking forward to next year.”
With the result sealed but pride still on the line, Scioto Country Club’s Jared Jones rallied in the last match to earn another half, closing the 29th Ohio Cup at 17.5 – 14.5 for Southern Ohio.
It was not a rout, and that made it sweeter. The win came from depth, from steadiness, from a team that found something extra in Tuesday’s rain and Wednesday’s golden light. As hands were shaken and the trophy lifted, Sowards spoke of camaraderie, of friendship wrapped in rivalry. Captain Camp, ever gracious, echoed him: the competition is bigger than the result.
The Ohio Cup has always been about that balance, competition bound by camaraderie, rivalry softened by respect. It endures because it matters to those who play it.
As the handshakes and hugs multiplied, the entire Southern Ohio team retreated to where Captain Sowards got them going Monday evening, with a little help from the Golden Bear.
This time, the men’s grill was loud again, joyful and glorious.
