Amateur Golf: Field is set for 75th annual Pine Hills Invitational

Since its inception in 1949, the Pine Hills Invitational has seen its share of down-to-the-wire finishes.

This year’s tournament has all the appearances of adding to that list.

This weekend will mark the 75th annual Pine Hills Invitational at the par-70, 6,163-yard course at Pine Hills Golf Club south of Ottawa. The historic event is scheduled for 36 holes (18 on Saturday, 18 on Sunday) set to begin with a 7 a.m. start Saturday.

Three of the last four tournaments have needed a playoff to decide a champion.

“We’ve had really fantastic finishes in nearly every event the past 10 of so years, and I won’t be surprised if we have another great last few holes this year,” Pine Hills manager and tourney director Jeremiah Pike said Wednesday in the clubhouse. “We have some guys that have won here before, but we also have a dozen or so other guys that have at one time, or another been right in the thick of things teeing off on the final hole and just fell a little short. We also have some guys that have been battling against each other since their youth days or high school.

“It’s going to be exciting to see which players are vying for the (championship) glass vase this year.”

Two-time champion Baley Lehr returns to defend his championship from last year. Lehr capped a crazy, back-and-forth four-man race to the finish by sinking a tough 12-foot downhill putt on the final hole to edge Jason Buffone by one stroke for the championship.

“Baley has the experience, the mental game, and his sharpness on this course is going to be tough to beat again this year,” Pike said. “It’s been a decade [Andy Mickelson won in 2011, 2012, 2013] since a player was able to win the event in back-to-back years, and I know Baley would love to be able to break that string.”

The field also features 2021 champion Andrew Stimeman, 2015 champ Gaberiel Aprati and 2009 winner Brian Lehr as well as top contenders Jeremy DeBernardi, Josh Gass and Brian Silvers.

“Over the years, especially recently, a lot of really talented players have played in this event, some going on to the professional ranks,” Pike said. “This year’s field features another bunch of very talented players, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of them become pros in the near future.

“We are at 92 entries right now, and there are a couple of guys still on the fence if they are going to enter. We ended up with 85 players entered last year, so I’m happy with where we are at number-wise right now and maybe a chance of a couple more joining before Saturday.”

With an event like a golf tournament, weather is always a factor, and this year unfortunately a concern.

“The forecast looks like sunny and 85 degrees on Saturday, then dipping down into the mid-to-low 60s with a 70% chance of rain on Sunday morning,” Pike said. “In the event we have to delay the start on Sunday, hopefully it will be a short one. I’ll just have to be ready for any scenario and deal with the situations as they come up.”

Pike said the course will be absent of a few bunkers that “just didn’t make sense” and “were tough to handle.” He added the main focus over the past few years has been improving the greens with each passing season and feels they will be in excellent shape for the weekend.

“We have a tremendous grounds keeping group, a number of tremendous sponsors again this year, which we are thankful for, as well as a solid group of volunteers that make this tournament run smooth and do a great job,” said Pike. “Running a tournament like this has so many moving parts, so having so many people willing to help out in any way they can makes my job so much easier, and I can’t even say how much it’s appreciated.”