UNIONTOWN — Kyle Smith was always in the hunt when the Stark County Amateur Golf Championship arrived in his own backyard.
This time, no one was able hunt down the former Green High School player.
Smith shot 2-under 70 in the final round to win his first Stark Amateur title on Sunday, July 21, at Ohio Prestwick County Club. He finished the two-day event at 8 under, four shots ahead of the field.
How close has Smith come to winning in the past? He was runner-up to three-time winner Maxwell Moldovan in 2021 and Gunnar McCollins in 2023.
“The first time I came in second I wasn’t too mad,” Smith said. “Max Moldovan ended up winning, and it’s kind of hard to beat him. Two years ago I lost to Gunnar by one. I bogeyed my last hole, missed a 5-footer.
“Ever since that I kind of had a chip on my shoulder, trying to come back and win this event every year. It feels great to finally be able to do it.”
Four birdies in a six-hole stretch helped make Smith’s growing lead almost insurmountable. He bogeyed 18 again in the final round this year. This time it didn’t matter.
“Being able to play out here all the time, the familiarity was huge,” Smith said. “It didn’t really feel as much as a tournament to me. I felt like I was just playing Prestwick again.
VIDEO: Kyle Smith talks about his Stark Amateur Golf Championship win
Canton Repository sports writer Mike Popovich speaks with Kyle Smith after his win at the 2025 Stark County Amateur Golf Championship.
“I hit a lot of greens, didn’t make many bogeys. I was just trying to limit the amount of shots that went off and on. I was able to make a couple of chips in the first round, which helped, and just made a bunch of pars today to coast my way home.”
Smith fired 66 in the first round to grab a four-shot lead. It was a small cushion that still guaranteed nothing, especially after what happened in 2023.
“I had a pretty big lead and ended up losing,” Smith said. “I kind of knew how to play with it this year. I just tried to get off to a good start, make a lot of pars, hit a lot of greens and play my own golf.”
Ryan Sam shot 69 in the final round to finish second at 4 under, four shots behind Smith. Caden Scarbrough and Lucas Liberatore tied for third at 3 under.
VIDEO: Kyle Smith hits a shot at the Stark Amateur Golf Championship
Kyle Smith hits a tee shot on No. 10 at Ohio Prestwick Country Club during the final round of the 2025 Stark County Amateur Golf Championship.
Smith will head back to Xavier University in a few weeks to begin his second season with the Musketeers. He averaged 72.7 in six tournaments and had two top-10 finishes, including a second at the Xavier Invitational.
“It’s always a big learning curve playing college golf,” Smith said. “I grew so much as a player. I worked my way around the course a lot better, learning when to go for pins and when not to. I’m ecstatic to get back out there and compete at the DI level again.”
Emily Liptak wins second straight Stark Amateur women’s championship
Emily Liptak helped make it a clean Green sweep earlier in the day. The 2022 graduate took command in the first round and won her second straight Stark Amateur women’s title by 11 shots. She finished at 5 over.
“I just came back from vacation so I was hoping I could pull it all together before I got back out here,” Liptak said. “Playing through the summer definitely helped me get ready.”
This was the third year women have played in the Stark Amateur. Tournament officials hope the fields continue to grow.
Liptak was one of four players who competed in the championship division. Four other women played in the 50-and-over division.
“It’s exciting to come back and have the tournament again,” Liptak said. “I hope they keep doing it.
“I know it’s a small field, but for me, I know the other girls. It’s just fun to play with your friends because they are people you played with in high school.”
Liptak will soon start her second college season at Akron. She transferred to the Zips after two seasons at Walsh and averaged 79.7 in 10 tournaments.
“It’s definitely a big jump,” Liptak said. “We played a lot of harder courses and better competition. I was so happy to be there and just take it all in.”
Alison Cress won the women’s 50-and-over division in a tiebreaker. She beat Gail Hackett on the first playoff hole.
Howard Clendenin, Tom Laubacher, Jim Herchek win other Stark Amateur men’s divisions
Howard Clendenin won the men’s 50-59 division by two shots over Dave Oates. Clendenin finished at 4 under.
Tom Laubacher topped the men’s 60-69 division at even par. He finished two shots ahead of Jeff Semple.Jim Herchek took the men’s 70-and-over division at 6 over. He finished three shots in front of Paul Trenta.
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