CELEBRATING | The 40th Kenny Novak Golf Tournament

By Estelle R. Brown

The 40th annual Kenny Novak Golf Tournament will tee off at Club Walden on July 24, 2023. This anniversary gives us all the opportunity to reflect on the enduring legacy of Kenneth Novak’s courage, determination and talent.

David Griffith, Executive Director of the Northern Ohio PGA, along with PGA staff and key founding event organizers Dominic and Eileen Antenucci, remind us of the inspiring life of Kenny Novak — who died at the age of 15 while trying to save another — and the positive impact he continues to have on other promising young athletes:

KENNY'S STORY

Kenny was the son of Walden members and residents Dick and Dianne Novak. He loved the sport of golf, and success on the golf course was not a stranger to Kenny. Just before his death, he had taken second place in the Mohican Hills Junior Golf Tournament in Wooster. In 1978, 1981 and 1982, he was a finalist in the Plain Dealer Junior Golf Tournament, qualified for the world putting championship at Firestone Country Club in 1982, and was a junior club champion runner-up at the Walden Golf and Tennis Club in 1981, as well as a junior and senior runner-up.

He and his father placed third in 1979, 1980 and 1981 at the Cleveland Athletic Club Father-Son Sports Day. Kenny also enjoyed basketball, baseball, pole vaulting, skiing, tennis and swimming. Teachers and coaches in Aurora considered him a good, well-behaved student and a promising athlete. His peers treasured his loyalty and friendship. The unfortunate circumstances of his death — that he would risk his life to save another — again exemplified the impeccable character of a boy so young.

Tournament History

The Kenny Novak Memorial Tournament was created by Walden members who knew Kenny and his family. Their original goal was to conduct a preeminent junior golf event in Northern Ohio at Walden as its permanent site. Also known as the Northern Ohio Junior PGA Championship Tournament, the event was established in order to encourage and develop the golf potential of area youth in Kenny’s memory.

Key founders of the tournament were Al and Jean O’Neill, Chuck Messina, Brian and Kathy Koenig, Gene Sarafin, the Telerico Family, plus Dominic and Eileen Antenucci.

Al and Sharon O’Neill, Dominic and Eileen Antenucci,

Chuck and Judy Messina, and Mark Telerico continue to be involved, along with George Balog, Bill and Pat Schoaf, Brian Koenig, and Mitch Camp.

Through 2023, over $80,000 of scholarships has been awarded through the fundraising efforts of Al O’Neill and George Balog. George notes that the number of scholarship awards has been rising over the past several years. Traditionally, $5,000 and $10,000 scholarships are awarded at each tournament. This year, two $10,000 scholarships plus additional $6,000 and $1,000 scholarships will also be awarded, for a total of $27,000 in scholarships in 2023, marking the best year for donations in the tournament’s history.

He adds that the prestige of the Kenny Novak Memorial Tournament continues to grow, as well. “This is a golf tournament that all of the top kids in the area have to qualify to play in. It’s a pretty prestigious event to win. Now, we are trying to get the Walden community and members involved in the tournament like they were years and years ago.”

The Manny Barenholtz Connection

David shares that “Manny hosted the event free of charge each year because he felt a strong connection to the Novak family, who were long-time Walden residents. Manny was a very generous, family-oriented person, and he felt that the event would bring the Northern Ohio community closer together.”

Northern Ohio Pga Involvement

The Northern Ohio PGA Junior Tour hosts over 30 events a year for juniors between the ages of 8 and 22. The 18-hole series events act as qualifiers for the Northern Ohio PGA Junior Tour Championship (formerly Kenny Novak Tour Championship). Each junior who wins a tournament during the season gets an automatic invitation to Club Walden at the end of the season. In addition, juniors are invited off of the Jackson-Dieken Player of the Year Points List as the event draws closer. David says that the Northern Ohio PGA prides itself on running high-quality events and has more than 600 Junior Tour members in 2023.

David adds, the Northern Ohio PGA Section Foundation helps to grow the game of golf in Northern Ohio through several initiatives, including scholarships. The section foundation also has a Clubs Fore Kids program, where they provide sets of golf clubs and PGA Professional instruction to juniors with financial need. Through PGA HOPE, the foundation offers six to eight weeks of free instruction to Veterans and Active Duty Military. And, over $80,000 in grants have been given in the last three years.

40th Anniversary Event Details

The Kenny Novak Scholarship Day has a slightly different format in 2023, as it will be a Pro-Junior-3 Am scramble format. More than 140 players are expected at this year’s Tour Championship.

It is a 12:30 shotgun with lunch from 11-12:30, followed by dinner after play at 5:30. This dinner will celebrate 40 years of the Kenny Novak Tour Championship and its 2023 Scholarship recipients.

Thirty-eight juniors from around Northern Ohio applied for the 2023 Northern Ohio PGA Section Foundation Scholarships. The two $10,000 scholarship award recipients will speak at the Scholarship Day dinner about how the game of golf has impacted their lives. In addition, the $6,000 and $1,000 scholarships will also be awarded.

Celebrating courage, determination and talent inspired by Kenny Novak, the tournament of champions for junior golf in Northern Ohio is 40 years strong.