41st Ohio Senior Open Begins Wednesday at Firestone Fazio
The 41st Ohio Senior Open begins this week, taking place on Wednesday and Thursday (May 27-28) on the Fazio Course at Firestone Country Club.
Don’t let the tournament name fool you. These guys can STILL play.
Some of the top names in Ohio professional golf — names such as six-time champion Bob Sowards (Dublin) and NOPGA Hall-of-Famers Gary Robison (a 4-time champion), Gary Trivisonno (Aurora), Tony Milam (Concord Township), Tom Waitrovich (Westlake) and Mitch Camp (Aurora) -– will test the Fazio Course. Mike Stone (Perrysburg/Belmont Country Club), a two-time NOPGA Senior Player of the Year, is one player to watch as he seeks his first Senior Open title.
The event, for professionals and qualifying amateurs ages 50-and-over, is open to the public with free admission.
THE 41st OHIO SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP FAST FACTS
WHAT: 41st Ohio Senior Open Championship
WHEN: May 27-28, 2026
WHERE: Fazio Course, Firestone Country Club.
WHO: The event is conducted by the Northern Ohio Section of the Professional Golfers Association for professionals and amateurs with a Handicap Index Limit of less than 6.0. Players must presently or have resided or worked in Ohio.
FORMAT: The event is contested in two divisions over 36 holes. Main Division is for players 50-and-over; Senior Plus is available for players 60-and-over. There is no cut.
BONUS TIME: Additionally, the champion of the Main Division earns an exemption to the Final Stage of the 2027 U.S. Senior Open Qualifying. With the Senior Open featuring a two-stage qualifying process, this perk enables the winner to bypass the initial stage.
THE FIELD: A total of 144 players, 58 professionals and 86 amateurs.
SPONSOR: ForeverLawn.
FREE ADMISSION: The event is open to the public with free admission.
GROUPINGS AND STARTING TIMES >
SCHEDULE:
May 27: 7 a.m. Practice range opens.
May 27: 8 a.m. First round begins off both the first and 10th tees.
May 28: 7 a.m. Practice range opens.
May 28: 8 a.m. Final round begins off both the first and 10th tees
SOWARDS RETURNS; CAN HE MAKE IT SEVEN-UP? Dublin’s Bob Sowards has dominated the Senior Open like no other. Sowards, who turns 58 on June 9, will attempt to win an unprecedented seventh Senior Open Championship. Sowards became the all-time leading winner of the Senior Open in 2023 when he won for the fifth consecutive time, climbing past four-time champion Gary Robison (2018, 2015, 2010, 2004).
Sowards is one of the most decorated players in the field, having played in 21 major championships at both the regular and senior levels, including 12 PGA Championships, seven Senior PGA Championships and two US Opens. He is a four-time winner of the National Professional Player of the Year and a five-time winner of the Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year. A former Nationwide Tour player, Sowards twice won the Senior PGA Professional of the Year (2018, 2021). Additionally, he has won three Ohio Open Championships.
BOB SOWARDS IN WINNING SIX OHIO SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
2025 66-66=132 (-8)
2023 67-68 =135 (-5)
2022 67-68 =135 (-5)
2021 65-68 =133 (-7)
2020 68-68 =136 (-4)
2019 69-63 =132 (-8)
AVERAGE SCORE IN WINNING: 133.83 (-6)
MAIN DIVISION RETURNING CHAMPIONS ARE: Bob Sowards (Dublin, 2025, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019); Bob Spino (New Franklin, 2024), Gary Robison (Muncie, Ind., formerly of Stark County, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2018), Nick Lambos (Canton, 2016), Tony Milam (Concord, 2014), Tom Waitrovich (Westlake, 2013), Larry King (Cincinnati, 2003, 2012), Gary Trivisionno (Aurora, 2008, 2011), Mitch Camp (Aurora, 2009).
SENIOR PLUS RETURNING CHAMPIONS ARE: Mark Borlin (Stow, 2025), Pat Delaney (Springfield, 2024), Mike Cassell (Hudson, 2020), Cal Wood (Cincinnati, 2023), Ed Steiber (Cincinnati, 2022), Phil Russo (Cincinnati, 2014).
