2004 Cleveland Golf Tour Year in Review:
Sisk Outlasts O’Hair for Money Title, Tour Continues to Flourish
By Dominic Dastoli

In 2002, 2003, Geoff Sisk dominated the Cleveland Golf Tour en route to grabbing Player of the Year honors each year. In 2004, Sisk was again named Player of the Year, but it took quite possibly his best year as a professional for him to fend off a mix of new challengers and veterans and retain his mantle as the preeminent player on this New England-based tour, which just completed its fourth year.

With continued rising purses and new venues attracting talented players such as Rookie of the Year Todd Westfall and heralded long-time amateur Jerry Courville, the Cleveland Golf Tour, formerly the New England Pro Golf Tour, enjoyed its most competitive year in 2004. Sisk, though, was the man to beat yet again.

     Sisk’s Career Year

Right out of the gates, Sisk started his season quickly with a tense one shot victory in the Atkinson Open over young guns Eli Zackheim and Sean O’Hair, who bogeyed the 18^th hole to fall out of a tie with Sisk.

One week later, Sisk, making his fourth appearance in the U.S. Open, finished in a tie for 40^th place at Shinnecock Hills, collecting a cool $30,000 in the process.

The day after U.S. Open Sunday, Sisk teed it up in the Mass Open at Pleasant Valley Country Club, seeking his fourth Cochrane Memorial Trophy. Following rounds of 69-68, he held off Eli Zackheim down the stretch for a two stroke victory, joining such greats as Alex Ross and Harold McSpaden as the only players with at least four Mass Open titles.

After a whirlwind June, Sisk struggled, relatively speaking, for much of the next two months before a showdown in late August at the Nevele Grande Open with his season long rival, Sean O’Hair, seemingly rejuvenated his game.

Paired with O’Hair in the final round, the duo stood even after the front nine. Sisk then blitzed the back side in 31 and cruised to a season best 14-under par 196 total and a dominant six stroke victory, narrowing O’Hair’s lead on the money list with just three events remaining

Surprisingly, Sisk then missed his first ever cut at the Captain’s Open. With only two events remaining, he trailed the persistent O’Hair in both the race for the money title and Player of the Year honors.

Determined to overtake O’Hair, Sisk concluded his season as impressively as he had started it, claiming second place in the penultimate event then firing a flawless 5-under par 65 in the final round of the final event of the year, the Samoset II Open, to leapfrog O’Hair on the money list, clinch Player of the Year honors, and grab the all important $4,000 bonus check to PGA TOUR Qualifying School.

On the season, Sisk recorded five wins, a career best, three of which came on the Cleveland circuit, making him the only multiple winner on tour. He also led the tour in scoring average (68.65) and earned $57,106, eclipsing the single season earnings record he set in 2003. Overall, his season long earnings surpassed $100,000.

Following yet another successful Cleveland Golf Tour campaign, Sisk was satisfied with his play and the momentum he will take heading into PGA TOUR Qualifying School.

“I’m thrilled with how I played this year,” said Sisk, who was exempted into the second stage of Q School based on his play in the U.S. Open.

 “I started off playing great golf. Then I finished strong. I played tremendous golf when I had to, which is a confidence booster. But what really caps it off is playing well at tour school. I just hope that the good play I had in September carries over into Q School,” he added.
 

     Young Gun O’Hair

            Although Sisk’s end of the year push was ultimately too much to overcome, no one could match Sean O’Hair’s week to week consistency. In the ten Cleveland events, the 22 year-old notched nine top seven finishes, including a sudden death playoff win in the Sterling Open that was made possible by a final round of 9-under par 62, the lowest round fired on tour all season.

            Like Sisk, O’Hair also fared well outside of the tour, closing with rounds of 64-66 to win the Vermont Open going away.  For the summer, he finished inside the top five in a remarkable 13 of 16 events.

            Despite falling just short of his stated goal of winning the money title, O’Hair was pleased with the strides he made in 2004.

            “Overall, it was a really good year,” O’Hair said. “There was nothing negative about the year. I’m twice the player I was before the summer.”
 

     Other Top Performers

            Perhaps overshadowed by the performances of Sisk and O’Hair, Kyle Gallo and Shannon Sykora didn’t receive nearly as much credit as they deserved but each had exceptional years nonetheless.

            Gallo, who wound up third on the money list, shattered Vermont National’s course record with a second round 65 en route to a commanding five stroke victory in the Vermont National Open. On the Cleveland circuit, he notched seven top 12 finishes and won over $33,000. Gallo also collected two non-Cleveland titles, the Providence Open and the Connecticut Open for the third time. In July, he Monday Qualified for the Reese’s Classic on the Nationwide Tour and actually led mid-way through the second round before settling for a 30^th place tie.

            Just behind Gallo on the money list was Sykora, who proved time and time again in 2004 that he knows how to go low. A 15-time winner during his 10 year career, Sykora twice shot 63 this season. In one of those efforts, he broke the elusive “30” barrier, shooting a 29 in the second round of the Nevele Grande Open.  On his way to winning the Passaconaway Open, he opened with rounds of 66 and 64. In nine events, he registered seven top 15 finishes and collected over $30,000 in earnings.

            The affable Dave Gunas, meanwhile, parlayed his comedic one liners and jovial personality into a spot on the Golf Channel’s “Big Break 2.” The 11 week reality show, which airs every Tuesday at 9 p.m., pits 10 golfers against one another in a series of skills competitions, with the winner receiving four Nationwide Tour exemptions.
 

     Fast Facts

            All told, seven of the ten events featured winners who carded three consecutive rounds in the 60’s, and 12 course records were either tied or broken. In addition, four new venues were added to the schedule, highlighted by Sterling Country Club, the 11^th ranked course in Massachusetts, and the Jack Nicklaus designed Vermont National Country Club.

            Andrew Dearborn, the tour’s Tournament Director, expressed satisfaction with the results of this past season and the added interest of potential new venues as a result of the tours growing success.

            “Everything flowed real well this year,” said Dearborn, who played Division 2 golf while in college. “We either met or exceeded what we set out to do at the beginning of the year. The new events we added were the best venues we’ve had. And now other courses are looking for us. The guys who have been here since the beginning are amazed at the progress we’ve made.”

            In 2004, the average field size was 75 and the average purse was $67,776. Next year, fields are expected to rise to nearly one hundred with purses nearing $90,000. Additionally, the schedule is likely to expand to 12 events, spanning eight states, including a celebrity pro-am in Atlantic City.

            Brian Hebb, the tour’s chairman since its inception in 2001, shares Dearborn’s view on the continued progress of the tour, saying, “2004 was by far our most successful season-private golf clubs, higher purses, bigger fields. We’re looking forward to 2005, more events and continued higher purses.