PREVIEW: 2025 Northeast Ohio Amateur Championship

NEOA logoThe 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 >

Groupings & Starting Times >

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.

Arnold Palmer 1953 Plain Dealer Invitational
Arnold Palmer putts at Shaker Heights CC during the final round of the 1953 Plain Dealer Invitational

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.

Vaughn Snyder
 

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 >

Kurt Peterson, 2024 Northeast Ohio Amateur Championship Senior Division winner.
Kurt Peterson, 2024 Northeast Ohio Amateur Championship Senior Division winner.

 

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 >

Groupings & Starting Times >

NEOAm Trophy
The Northeast Ohio Amateur Championship trophy.
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Allen Freeman

Allen is a writer, photographer and editor for OHIO.GOLF

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