WINNER — Kalkreuth Roofing and Sheet Metal representative Joe Doerr presents Buckeye Local High School and Wheeling University graduate Emily Holzopfel with the overall female winner’s trophy following the 10th annual Kalkreuth Amateur Golf Championships Sunday at Oglebay Park. Holzopfel also partnered with Marra Johnson to win the women’s best-ball. – Kim North
WHEELING — It was a special day to double-up for a pair of local golfers during the final round of the 10th annual Kalkreuth Amateur Golf Championships, but for entirely different reasons.
Wheeling Central graduate Kyle Wensel stormed down the back 9 on the sun-splashed Robert Trent Jones designed course at Speidel Golf Club inside Oglebay Park. Trailing wire-to-wire leader Bart Mease by a mere stroke with two holes remaining, the 25-year-old project manager at Kalkreuth Roofing and Sheet Metal, birdie both the 17th and 18th holes after Mease, a 2004 Robert Morris University Hall of Fame inductee, bogeyed both.
Wensel finished at 140 for the two days, which also included a round on the Arnold Palmer designed course across W.Va. 88. Wensel shot 68 on Saturday to trail Mease, a native of Gaithersburg, Md., and the 1996 Northeast Conference Tournament champ while at RMU, by one shot.
“I had heard whispers about what was going on with everyone else, and I actually thought the individual part was over,” Wensel admitted of the final few holes. “I thought the best-ball was close. I made the birdie at 18 that helped the team, I’m team-first. When we got up to the top of the hill, I found out I had won the individual with that putt.
“I didn’t think 72 was going to be good enough today, but I guess it was.”
Wensel said he hasn’t won a tournament since his Maroon Knights captured the West Virginia Class A state title in 2016-17, his senior season.
“I feel about 40 pounds lighter now that I’ve got that monkey off my back,” Wensel allowed. “I’ve been in contention several times for titles but I’ve never been able to finish on top until today. It feels really good and I’m going to let the guys at work know who won for a while.”
Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Buckeye Local High School and Wheeling University golf standout Emily Holzopfel ran away with the medal division with a two-day total of 140, which was two-under-par and seven shots ahead of second-place Kailey Pettit, head golf coach at Bethany College.
After a 73 on Saturday, the 23-year-old Holzopfel shot a sizzling 67 on Sunday that allowed her to pull away from the field.
“Both golfers added best-ball titles to their day as Wensel and Bryan Myers outlasted Mease and Jason Lis on the first playoff hole. Both duos carded two-day totals of 133.
“I come for the team. Team always comes first in my kind and I’ve been playing with BT since I was 12 years old,” the 25-year-old said following the one-hole playoff. “He helped a lot. I started off bad and he’s in my ear telling me to be patient and just have fun. We’re a good team. It’s the back 9 on the Jones (course) and anything can happen.
“It’s a great feeling. I couldn’t be any happier.”
Holzopfel and former Wheeling University teammate Marra Johnson combined for a two-day total of 133, which was nine shots ahead of Bailey Frederick and Pettit.
“It means everything to me,” Holzopfel said while holding back her emotions while thinking of her late mother, Mary who passed away earlier this summer. “I know she would be proud of me.”
Other winners include Seth Abraham (men’s first division); Bob Clark (men’s senior division); Jeff Sparks (men’s super senior division); Brodi Foster (junior division); Abraham and Ron Stephens (men’s first division best-ball); and Sparks and Dean Staber (men’s super senior division).