65th Porter Cup champions: Kendall Todd, Chase Nevins

LEWISTON, N.Y. (WIVB) — Launched by one of the best opening rounds in tournament history, Virginia native Chase Nevins held off the charge led by local favorite Ryan Edholm to win a closely-contested 65th Porter Cup title on Saturday at Niagara Falls Country Club, while Kendall Todd from Arizona drove past the field to become the 13th women’s champion.

Nevins and Edholm approached the 72nd hold of the tournament at 11-under par four the tournament. Edholm sailed his 6-iron past the green, hitting a fan to stay in bounds, and made bogey on the par-3 hole after a chip and two putts. Nevins dropped his 8-iron on the green for a par to win the tournament.

“It’s huge; I haven’t won since probably this time in 2022, so it’s been two years,” said Nevins, who opened Wednesday shooting an 8-under 62, tied for the second-lowest round in tournament history. “There’s nothing like it making the turn and being tied for the lead in a tournament like this. You really can’t replicate it in practice. That’s what I work for every day, to be able to come through when all these people are out here and just hit the clutch shots when you need to.”

Edholm, a Canisius College senior from Tonawanda, was trying to become the second Western New Yorker in 60 years to win the prestigious amateur event. He took the lead with an ealge on the 320-yard 10th hole, but fell back with bogeys on three of the final six holes and finished tied for second with Garrett Engle and Noah Kent at 10-under.

“It was just an awesome week, and it was fun the whole way to play that well,” Edholm said. “To come up short obviously stinks. But to play that well is pretty cool, to have the crowd on my side is nice.”

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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here .