Kyle Buzaki, Emily Liptak win first Stark County Amateur golf tournament championships

UNIONTOWN — Déjà vu was staring straight at Kyle Buzaki's face.

This time the former Walsh University golfer never blinked.

Buzaki held off a talented crop of pursuers to win his first Stark County Amateur men's championship division title at Ohio Prestwick Country Club. He fired a 2-over 74 in Sunday's final round to finish at 3-under overall, two shots ahead of runner-up Shaun Kloetzer of Fairlawn.

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You couldn't blame Buzaki for thinking about the 2023 Stark Amateur after shooting 67 in Saturday's first round. The Stow native also shot 67 in last year's opening round. He ended up fourth after a 76 on Sunday.

"I was in the final group last year and didn't play very well in the final round," Buzaki said. "It's kind of nice to play well this year and close it out.

"I was in the same exact spot I was in last year. I felt like I had some experience and knew what I was doing this time around."

Bogeys on three of his first five holes prevented Buzaki from generating much momentum. His only big hiccup on the back nine was a double bogey on 14. He closed out his round with four straight pars.

"It was kind of a rough start," Buzaki said. "I didn't putt very well on the front nine. I figured it out a little on the back nine and played a little bit better."

Buzaki needed a near mistake-free back nine to maintain his lead. Kloetzer, North Canton's Joshua Clay, Canfield's Ryan Sam and former Green High School player Kyle Smith were within a club's length of him. Smith shot 70 in the final round to finish four strokes out.

"It got kind of close after that double (bogey)," Buzaki said. "I played pretty well coming into the last few holes and was able to close it out."

Buzaki recently closed out a very successful college career at Walsh. He set a Cavaliers record with a 71.43 scoring average, finished third at the Great Midwest Conference Championships and competed in an NCAA Division II super regional this past season.

A future in golf is not out of the question.

"I'm actually thinking about going pro," Buzaki said. "I'm not exactly sure when. I have one more year as a graduate assistant at Walsh. I think I'm going to finish that, then we'll see. Maybe next spring or summer I might turn pro."

Emily Liptak celebrates reunion with friends with win

The women's tournament felt like a high school postseason tournament reunion. Eight of the nine players in the championship division were current or recent Stark County-area Division I players.

That helped make Emily Liptak's first Stark Amateur win feel a little more satisfying. The former Green player shot 3-over for the weekend to finish three strokes ahead of former GlenOak player and defending champion Madison Reemsnyder.

"This was so fun to play with them again," Liptak said. "It was good to see everybody."

The women's portion of the Stark Amateur is in its infant stages. The inaugural event was held last year. This time it was played during the same weekend as the men's event on the same course.

"We were just excited to play out here on this course," Liptak said. "It's a step up from last year. It was really nice to play with the guys and be a part of it."

While at Green, Liptak was one of the state's top high school golfers. She finished as high as sixth in three state tournament appeances.

After playing collegiately at Walsh for two seasons, Liptak is moving on to Akron this fall. One of her new teammates will be former Jackson All-Ohioan Avery Wright.

"Walsh was a good steppingstone, but I'm excited to start next season, " Liptak said. "It's a chance to move up. It's new opportunities and new courses."

Stark Amateur division winners roundup

Here is a rundown of the other division winners at this year's Stark Amateur:

• Canton's Denise Callahan won the women's 50-and-over division by three shots over Alison Cress of Jupiter, Fla.
• Fairlawn's Howard Clendenin shot 4-under overall to win the men's 50-59 division. Central Catholic boys head coach Dave Oates finished second, four shots back.
• Akron Rick Bryson won the men's 60-69 division by four shots over Aurora's Tom Laubacher. He finished at even par.
• Fairlawn's Rick Merrow edged Stow's Ron Bell and Tallmadge's Jim Cea by one shot to win the men's 70-and-over division.

Reach Mike at mike.popovich@cantonrep.com

On X: @mpopovichREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Kyle Buzaki, Emily Liptak win first Stark County Amateur golf tournament championships