It's always been an uphill battle for Nick Latimer, but the former Kent State player keeps chugging away.
The teams are set for next month's annual private-public golf battle for the Shaw Cup.• Video: How to avoid fat shots | Off The Green with Rob Moss
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's always been an uphill battle for Nick Latimer, but the former Kent State player keeps chugging away.
Latimer, of Brooklyn, shot a course-record 8-under 63 on Monday at the West Palm Beach (Fla.) Golf Club to win the 18-hole Palm Beach Shootout. It was his third victory and his 18th top-10 finish in the last 10 months on the Fuzion Minor League Golf Tour.
Latimer, who earned a spot as a walk-on and was a member of the KSU team that won the 2009 Mid-American Conference championship, made three birdies and a bogey on the front nine. He added an eagle and four birdies for 30 on back. He earned $650 from the $2,790 purse.
"Nick is a grinder," KSU coach Herb Page said of the 2009 Greater Cleveland Amateur champ. "Don't count him out."
Holding our own: In a recent survey conducted by the National Golf Foundation, Ohio and Cleveland are maintaining their levels of play relative to other areas around the country.
The survey compared the first half of 2010 to a year ago. Play is down 2.8 percent in Cleveland and 3.2 percent across Ohio, but that is minor compared to some cities and states.
Taking the biggest hits are Wisconsin -- site of this year's PGA Championship -- where play is down 15.9 percent, followed by Texas (15.4), Colorado (15.2), Hawaii (13.7), New Mexico (13.2) and Oklahoma (12.6).
Denver (13.3), Sarasota, Fla. (11.2) and Tampa, Fla. (10.7) are among the cities where play is spiraling downward the most. Play in Columbus is down 4.7 percent.
The draw on Shaw: Rosters for the 16th annual Shaw Cup, a charitable event patterned after the Ryder Cup that has raised more than $300,000 for the Challenge Golf Program at Akron General/Edwin Shaw Rehab, are set. Joe Ungvary Jr., whose father, Joe Sr., was one of the founders of the event, will captain the Public team, which has a 7-5-3 edge. His team consists of Aaron Crewse, Danny Marr, Chris Minear, John Bernatovicz, Chris Carney, Mike Simpson, Dave Trier, Jim Krivanek, Pete Skirpstas, Rob Schustrich and seniors Jim Niskanen, Jimmy Cea, Ron Bell and Fred Miller.
Private team captain Tim Edwards has chosen Mike Riley (Fairlawn), Dave Pulk (Lake Forest), John Oyster (Lake Forest), Ross Beal (Prestwick), Don Padgett III (Firestone), Anthony Yacovazzi (Lake Forest), Ben Cavey (Medina), Jeff Mallette (Canton Brookside), Kurt Peterson (Shady Hollow), Brian Belden (Canton Brookside), Mike Arnold (Firestone) and seniors Barry Terjesen (Sharon), Mike Cassell (Firestone), Jim Harless (Barrington), Bill Downing (Fairlawn) and Brian Eichler (Fairlawn), who will serve as assistant captain.
The event will be played Sept. 25-26 at Rosemont and Fairlawn.
Senior moments: Akron's Rick Merrow shot rounds of 70-73 at Barberton Brookside and Good Park, respectively, to win the Summit County Senior Amateur championship by one shot over Hudson's Dave Pulk. Joe Hedrick, also of Akron, won the Super Seniors (ages 60-69) with a score of 149 and Akron's Vic Kline won the Super Super Seniors (70 and over) with a 158.