News Archive

Kristopher Boyes successfully defended his Erie County Amateur title on Sunday at Elma Meadows GC, shooting rounds of 65 and 72 to best the field by two strokes. 

He did so in wire-to-wire fashion, as he logged just one bogey in his opening round on the eighth hole, one hole after converting an eagle on the seventh. Still, Boyes went out in 32, picking up birdies on the fourth and sixth holes, before coming in at 33 with zero bogeys, adding two more birdies on the 11th and 17th holes to get to five-under heading into the final 18. 

His closest chasers were Michael Wolski, who shot 67, and Mac Quinn (68) along with Tyler Edholm and David Wagner, who were four strokes behind at 69. But it wasn’t any of those four who would end up almost catching Boyes in the end.

Shane Dobesh, who won the 2025 BDGA Mid-Amateur Championship at Transit Valley CC, started the day nine strokes off the lead, but quickly started to make ground with a birdie on one and an eagle on seven. In that span, Boyes had bogeyed holes two and five for a five-stroke swing. 

As each entered their final nine holes, Dobesh stood four strokes off the lead, and shaved another one of with a birdie on 11, while Boyes bogeyed the tenth, birdied 11, then bogeyed the 12th to bing his lead down to two strokes. 

However, Boyes would birdie the 14th to all but seal his victory, despite another Dobesh birdie on the 17th. Dobesh’s valiant final-round 65 effort had come up just short, while Boyes’ 72 was just enough to clinch his second title in as many years. 

Wolski finished in third place at one-under overall, while Edholm took home fourth at one-over, and Matt Messing rounded out the top-five at two-over. 

Men’s Senior Division

Axel Ackerman overcame a two-stroke deficit on the final day to win the Erie County Men’s Senior Amateur by three strokes. Brian Kumiega held the overnight lead with a 71 in the first round to Ackerman’s 73.

Despite starting his final round with a double-bogey on the fourth, and an additional bogey on the sixth, Ackerman responding with an almost clean sheet the rest of the way. He birdied the eighth, 14th and 15th holes while parring every hole in between to build an insurmountable advantage towards the end, despite a bogey on the 17th. His back-nine 34 made the difference, as Kumiega would shoot 38-38 to miss the championship by three strokes.

Women’s Division

Gwendolyn Yarnall won her third consecutive Erie County Women’s Amateur by a 20-stroke margin. She shot a 66 on the first day, highlighted by a front-nine 32 and just one bogey on the back-nine, to build a lead she would never come close to relinquishing. A final-round 72 (39-33) was all but inconsequential as Yarnall broke par in three of her four nine-hole stretches across the 36-hole competition. 

Boys’ 18U Division

Braedan Lee went wire-to-wire to win the Erie County Boys’ 18U Junior Amateur Championship by one-stroke over reigning Boys’ 14U Player of the Year Michael Jordan.

Lee opened with an even-par 70 to begin play and build a four-stroke lead over Jordan (74). Each of them went out in 36 through the first nine holes of their final rounds. Jordan, despite bogeying two of his first four holes on the back, started to charge with two birdies over his next four holes, while Lee shot two-over in that stretch. 

Needing a birdie to send it to extra holes, Jordan parred, while Lee parred on the 18th to secure the title. 

Girls’ 18U Division

Natalie Wasik, who won the 2025 Boys’ & Girls’ Junior Stroke Play Championship, won her first Erie County Girls’ 18U Junior Amateur championship by nearly 30 strokes. She shot 67-66 to finish at nine-under overall. She rolled in 12 birdies across 36 holes, one eagle on the seventh hole in her second round, and logged just five bogeys to win in dominant fashion.