On a day when play was suspended twice by rain, Elyria's Norton Brick (seniors) and Medina's John Furlong (championship) won their divisions in sparkling fashion.
HUDSON, Ohio -- A name that has appeared at the top of local amateur golf leaderboards for a long time and one likely to do so in the near future emerged as winners in the 80th annual Northeast Ohio Amateur Invitational, which came to a drawn-out conclusion at the Country Club of Hudson on Monday.
On a day when play was suspended twice by rain, prompting tournament officials to cut Monday's scheduled 36 holes down to 18, Elyria's Norton Brick (seniors) and Medina's John Furlong (championship) won their divisions in sparkling fashion.
Furlong, who will be a senior at Kent State, shot a final-round 2-under 70 and won his first NEO Am title by four shots with a 54-hole score of 211, compiled with rounds at Quail Hollow and Aurora last week and 18 holes Monday.
Former high school state champion Mac McLaughlin, who will be a sophomore at Virginia, finished second at 215 after a 72, and Zach Glassman, a Dayton senior, and Brad Steven of Concord tied for third at 216.
Brick, 57, who has won numerous amateur events in the area, became the first player to have both championship and senior victories. He shot a final-round 74 for a three-day total of 216, seven shots better than Jeff Knox of Solon.
"Someone has to be the first guy to do it, so it might as well be me," said Brick, who made two birdie putts of 30 feet and another from 25. "If I hadn't made any putts, I probably would have shot 80."
Brick had a sizable lead with three holes to play when a second downpour hit the course at approximately 3:45 p.m.
"It made for a long day, and I'm sure I'll be seeing my chiropractor in the morning," said Brick, who finished with four birdies, three bogeys and two double bogeys.
Furlong, who transferred to KSU from Ashland last fall, took a two-shot lead into the final round and never faltered. He birdied the first hole and then reeled off eight straight pars. He kept the pressure on the rest of the field by making two birdies on the first four holes on the back.
"I knew I was going to have a good round because Mac is a good player and I knew he would play well," said Furlong. "I just tried to stay away from making too many mistakes. On the front side, I don't think I missed a fairway or a green [in regulation] and I think I two-putted practically every hole."