MARION — Nikitha Suresh won the trophies on Tuesday, June 16, but she won the tournament a day earlier.
The rising junior at Dublin Jerome shot a tournament-best 68 on June 15 to put herself a stroke atop the leaderboard, then held that position to earn the 50th Ohio Junior Girls Championship at Marion Country Club.
Suresh shot a 74-68-73 for a 1-under 215, taking the top spot by two strokes over last year’s runner-up Elisabeth Coleman.
“I was making a lot of putts,” Suresh said of her middle round. “I was putting myself in good positions, and I gave myself a ton of opportunities. I was able to convert those opportunities. That’s what was going really well for me.”
And enough of her play carried over to the final day.
“I came in with a lot of confidence after my second round, so I think that definitely helped me put myself in good position and also stay calm under pressure when scores were starting to get tight,” she said.
It was a nervy threesome to be a part of. Joining her in the last group were Coleman and defending champion Meadow Tian. With her closest rivals on the leaderboard also being her playing partners, Suresh always knew where she stood.
“Everyone is always aware of each other’s scores,” Suresh said. “We knew what position we were in the entire round. Things got pretty tight, especially toward the end. I knew it. She knew it. We all knew it. Staying calm under that pressure was what helped me finish strong and win.”
Suresh won the tournament by two strokes as Coleman settled for a second runner-up finish in a row in Marion
“It’s a little bit dang-it. Anytime you go into a tournament, you want to win. Honestly, I love this tournament. I have been playing in it for four years, so any time that I’m playing in it I’m just having a good time,” Coleman said. “I pretty much know most of the girls in the field. I’ve played with all girls that I know, which is always so much fun.”
Coleman, a Medina Highland grad who will start her college career at Ball State in the fall, shot a 69-74-74 for a 1-over-par 217 this week. She shot a 215 last year to finish two shots behind Tian’s 213.
“I like being able to play with girls who I’m competing directly against to try to win because you push each other. That is nice. I’m proud of Nikitha. She played really well, so that’s exciting,” Coleman said. “I wish a couple more putts would have fallen. It was just a couple of putts and a couple of shots that got me in trouble. I got a couple of silly bogeys.”
Tian shot a 72-70-77 for a 3-over-par 219. The Olentangy grad won last fall’s OHSAA Division I state championship and will play this fall at the University of Illinois.
As for Suresh, she earned a berth into the 2026 U.S. Girls Junior Championship at Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina in July. It’s the first time an exemption has been awarded to the Ohio Girls Junior Championship winner. She hopes she can make the trip.
Suresh was fifth at last year’s OHSAA Division I state tournament and helped Jerome to the team championship as their highest placer.
“This is actually my first win of the year. I’m hoping to grab a couple more before we go into high school season,” she said. “I think we’re going to have a strong team this high school season so I’m hoping for an equally successful couple months.”
Another hole in one
It’s just the third time it’s ever happened, but the second year in a row that a hole in one was struck by a competitor in the tournament.
Joining Sophia Canale of Fairlawn in 2018 and Bella Mitchell of Lewis Center last year was Cincinnati’s Charlotte Soller.
The Mariemont grad and future Ohio University golfer hit the first ace of her career with a 7-iron on the 147-yard ninth hole.
“I said to the people I was playing with that I thought it rolled off the back,” she said. “I thought I had too much iron. All of a sudden I heard my mom scream and everyone started clapping. It was like a burst of excitement.”
She followed it up with a pair of birdies and ended the tournament tied for 13th with a 233. Her final-day 74 was the best of her three rounds.
Site for the 51st TBD
The Ohio Junior Girls Championship was founded by the late Kay Wigton and former LPGA pro Andy Fischer in 1977 and is the oldest girls golf tournament in the state. The Marion Country Club, which Wigton was a member, has been its only site over the last 50 years.
When Wigton died in a traffic accident 22 years later, friends like Diana Morgan shepherded the tournament before turning it over to the Women’s Ohio State Golf Association who organized it for the better part of three decades. WOSGA then reached an agreement with the Northern Ohio Golf Association to jointly operate it for three years with NOGA taking over completely after the 50th anniversary.
“The championship is well positioned to grow, and that’s our goal — to grow it and make it into the premiere girls junior golf event in Ohio,” NOGA CEO Robb Schulze said.
Whether that growth will continue in Marion remains to be seen.
“From Day 1 when we walked in, we knew there was a tremendous passion that Marion had for this tournament, and obviously the Wigton family and everybody that’s associated with it,” Schulze said. “We are not committed anywhere next year. Per our agreement with WOSGA, if we do leave, we’d come back every three years. Right now our minds are open.”
rmccurdy@usatodayco.com
419-610-0998
X @McMotorsport
Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Nikitha Suresh stays calm in 50th Ohio Junior Girls Championship
Reporting by Rob McCurdy, Marion Star / Marion Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Rob McCurdy, Marion Star | USA TODAY Network
