The 95th playing of the Northeast Ohio Amateur Championship begins this Saturday, June 7 at Windmill Lakes Golf Club in Ravenna, featuring a field of 132 top area players in three divisions: Championship, Mid-Amateur, and Senior.
NOGA Live Scoring Leaderboard: 2025 NEOA >
Conducted by the Northern Ohio Golf Association (NOGA), this 3-day, 54-hole individual stroke play event has a significant history, both in terms of longevity and some great competitors.
Arnold Palmer competed in and won the 1953 Plain Dealer Invitational, the name under which the tournament began. The first round was played at Aurora Country Club, round two at Highland Park, and a few days later, the 36-hole finale was held at Shaker Heights Country Club. Palmer shot 69-68-71-72 for an 8-under par 280 total to win by eight shots, setting a new tournament record by five.
In 1965, NOGA rescued the then-flagging Plain Dealer Invitational, rebranding it as the Northeast Ohio Amateur Championship to continue its legacy. In 2017, the tournament format changed from multiple weeks/multiple courses to a single weekend at the same course, and the event’s stature has grown since then.
2024 NEOA CHAMPIONSHIP
CHAMPION: Vaughn Snyder, Canton
MID-AM CHAMPION: Vaughn Snyder, Canton
SENIOR CHAMPION: Kurt Peterson, Bolivar
Canton’s Vaughn Snyder and Stow’s Kyle Buzaki put on a show on the back nine at Windmill Lakes Golf Club, slugging it out six shots clear of the rest of the field for the 94th Northeast Ohio Amateur Championship title. Snyder won by a single shot in a battle that went down to the wire. In the Senior Division, Bolivar’s Kurt Peterson started with a 69 on Saturday, fell back after a Sunday 77, then finished with a blistering 5-under par 65 on Monday to win by five shots.
FINAL ROUND RECAP >
2024 GAME STORIES: RD1 | RD2 | RD3
2024 NEOA PHOTO GALLERIES: RD1 | RD2 | RD3
NEOA Championship Archives >
2025 TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Format: An individual stroke play competition, in which each player competes against all other players in their division. The competition is 54 holes with a cut after 36 holes. Play is governed by the USGA Rules of Golf and its decisions, by the NOGA Hard Card and the terms of competition. Rule 1.3B states that players are responsible for applying the rules to themselves.
Cut: There will be a cut after 36 holes.
Championship Division: Top 30 + Ties
Mid-Amateur Division: Top 15 + Ties
Senior Division: Top 15 + Ties
Tees:
Championship and Mid-Amateur Divisions: Approx. 6,900 Yards
Senior Division: Approx. 6,500 Yards
NOGA Live Scoring Leaderboard: 2025 NEOA >
