Brandywine Country Club Assistant Professional Michael Balcar shot a final-round seven-under 65 on Wednesday to win the 76th Northern Ohio Professional Golfers Association Professional Championship at Tippecanoe Country Club.
Balcar, of Maumee, had rounds of 67-68-65 for a three-day score of 16-under 200 and won the NOPGA’s fourth major of 2026 by an impressive seven shots.
Strongsville’s Jim Troy, an instructor at The Golf Dome and a three-time winner of this event, added a final-round 67 and finished as the runner-up for the second straight year with a 54-hole score of 9-under 207. Randy Dietz, lead instructor at Windmill Golf Center, finished third at 3-under 213 after a final-round 2-under 70, and Anthony Panepento, an assistant at Canterbury Golf Club, was fourth at 2-under 214 with a final-round 71.
All four men earned entry into the 59th PGA Professional Championship to be played at the Streamsong Golf Resort in Bowling Green, Fla., April 25-28, 2027. They also earned spots on the NOPGA team for the 30th Ohio Cup Matches to be contested in October against a team from the Southern Ohio PGA.
Making his first appearance in the event, also known as the NOPGA Section Championship, Balcar joined a select group of past winners such as Denny Shute, Herman Keiser, Frank Stranahan and more recently Gary Trivisonno, Rob Moss, Gary Robison and Mitch Camp, all of whom are NOPGA Hall-of-Famers.
A second-round 68 gave the 33-year-old Balcar, a Cleveland State graduate, a 5-shot lead over Troy heading into the final round, and he kept his foot on the gas with birdies on five of his first seven holes. He made the turn in 33 and was at 12-under.
Troy, winner in 2021, 2022 and 2024, was almost as hot as the 45-year-old also birdied five of his first seven holes, and Dietz, who began the day eight shots back, made an eagle and two birdies in his first seven.
Dietz, 47, fought off back and knee issues and drove the 311-yard fourth hole and made about a 16-footer for his eagle.
Balcar finished with 29 pars, 19 birdies, one eagle and five bogeys. He was the only player in the field with three straight rounds in the 60s, and he played Tippecanoe’s 12 par-5 holes in seven-under. He also had an eagle on the 509-yard 10th when his drive hopped out of a fairway bunker and his 4-iron second shot stopped 40 feet from the pin. He made the putt, putting him at 14-under for the tournament and helping maintain his comfortable lead as both Troy and Dietz made birdies.
Balcar earned $7,500 for his victory, and he climbed from 14th place to fourth on the Rolex Member Player of the Year list.
PHOTO GALLERY: 2026 NOPGA Professional Championship – Final Round >
FINAL RESULTS: Northern Ohio PGA
2026 NOPGA Professional Championship
Tippecanoe Country Club, Canfield
Monday, August 10 – Wednesday, August 12, 2026
BlueGolf Hole-by-Hole Results >
Final Results:
1. Michael Balcar, Brandywine Country Club, $7,500.00, *67-68-65-200 -16
2. Jim Troy, The Golf Dome, $4,000.00, *66-74-67-207 -9
3. Randy Dietz, Windmill Golf Center​, $3,000.00, *72-71-70-213 -3
4. Anthony Panepento, Canterbury Golf Club, $2,000.00, *72-71-71-214 -2
5. Mike Stone, Belmont Country Club, $1,450.00, *70-74-71-215 -1
5. Dennis Miller, PGA Of America Life Member, $1,450.00, *73-72-70-215 -1
7. Sean Kenily, Union Country Club, $1,100.00, *73-70-73-216 E
8. Rob Moss, Pepper Pike Club, $950.00, *71-74-72-217 +1
8. Mark Sierak, Optimus Golf, $950.00, *72-74-71-217 +1
10. Jaysen Hansen, Tippecanoe Country Club, $800.00, *74-76-69-219 +3
11. Gary Rusnak, 1899 Indoor Golf – Twinsburg, $750.00, *77-70-73-220 +4
11. Matt McMahon, Lakewood Country Club, $750.00, *73-71-76-220 +4
11. Jordan Schroeder, Findlay Country Club, $750.00, *71-72-77-220 +4
14. Jon Jones, Youngstown Country Club, $700.00, *76-71-74-221 +5
15. Nick Gustin, Erie Shores Golf Course, $675.00, *76-72-74-222 +6
16. Ian Haidle, Shady Hollow Country Club, $650.00, *78-74-71-223 +7
17. Jared Toom, GolfTEC-Stonebrook, $587.50, *70-80-74-224 +8
17. Nick Paez, GolfTEC – Cleveland West, $587.50, *75-74-75-224 +8
17. Evan Bryan, The Country Club, $587.50, *74-75-75-224 +8
17. Steve Parker, Firestone Country Club, $587.50, *72-77-75-224 +8
21. Mitch Camp, PGA Of America Life Member, $525.00, *71-78-76-225 +9
22. Mary Suitca, Tannenhauf Golf Club, $475.00, *77-74-75-226 +10
22. Joe Meglen, StoneWater Golf Club, $475.00, *75-73-78-226 +10
22. Mark Scott Jr., Westwood Country Club, $475.00, *72-75-79-226 +10
25. Kevin Sullivan, Quail Hollow Country Club – Weiskopf/Morrish, $412.50, *74-76-77-227 +11
25. William McKinley, Sharon Golf Club, $412.50, *79-70-78-227 +11
27. Drew Pierson, The Clubhouse, $350.00, *74-78-77-229 +13
27. Tony Adcock, Foxy Golf Canton, $350.00, *76-75-78-229 +13
27. Jordan Paolini, Alliance Country Club, $350.00, *77-73-79-229 +13
30. Tony Milam, North Coast Junior Tour, $300.00, *77-75-82-234 +18
