Joe Hardy has to feel like he got his money’s worth from the Falling Rock Classic. Every sponsor would love to have his tournament come down to the final hole, the final putt, before the event is decided, and that’s exactly what the founder of 84 Lumber Company and owner of Nemacolin Woodlands Resort got early Tuesday afternoon. There were thrills, spills and some really good golf played in the final 18 holes, and, in the end, one of the Tri-State Section PGA’s brightest stars won the biggest purse available for club professionals. “In every round of golf, you have to battle some adversity, and John did a great job with that today,” said Rob Moss, the Cleveland-area professional who played with John Mazza yesterday and watched the veteran play his way from a near-disastrous front to a championship. Mazza won the $30,000 first prize, the biggest check he’s ever cashed, from the $150,000 purse, the richest of its kind in the country. Mazza, the former Montour Heights Country Club pro who’s dedicated himself to making it on the Champions Tour, birdied the second to get to 6-under par and make the other contenders wonder if he was going to run away with the tournament. “Well, there’s no way around it, that front nine wasn’t much fun,” Mazza said. “And while I went from 6 under to 1 under (a slide that started with a bogey on No. 3 and double bogey on No. 4), I kept telling myself that if Rob and I could make some pars and maybe get a birdie or two, it was going to be hard for the guys behind us to catch up because they were a little far back.” The contenders included Barry Evans of Berry Hills CC in West Virginia, who finished 1 under; Rob McClellan of Olde Stonewall and Kevin Shields of RMU Island Sports Golf Dome, who were 1 over and Ryan Sikora of Totteridge Golf Club, who finished 2 over. “I was proud of myself for a lot of reasons, but I really didn’t let myself get ahead of myself all day,” Mazza said. “I stayed patient.” Mazza actually credited Moss for getting both of their rounds back on track. The duo got to the 11th tee somewhat reeling, especially Mazza, who had posted bogeys on the 9th and 10th holes. “The biggest thing for me was making birdie on 11,” Moss said. “Once I did that, I saw a scoreboard that said I was one shot back. I had started the day one back, and I felt pretty good that I was still only one back. That gave me a little life and put a little spring in my step.” He also put some spring in Mazza’s game, because the 51-year-old birdied the 14th, 16th and 18th holes, including a champion-like 15-footer for birdie that put the icing on the cake. The last putt came right after Moss had a 20-foot birdie attempt that slid just right of the cup. Had it gone in, Mazza would have had to birdie to win. “This was a very good test for me today, and I was able to finish strong. As a matter of fact, Rob finished strong, too,” Mazza said. Mazza and the Tri-State move to Butler Country Club next week for the 72-hole Fuhrer Invitational, the second of three straight prestigious events. The following week they’ll compete in the Sewickley Heights Invitational.

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