BY JACK MURRAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Elks Run Golf Club in Batavia will open to the public sometime this fall. It is hoped Greg Norman will be healthy enough to christen his Clermont County public-access course.
Norman is recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder, which has kept him off the PGA Tour since March. He is scheduled to pick up a driver Oct. 14 for the first time since surgery.
With more than 30 course designs in play around the world, the Shark is keeping busy as president of his Jupiter, Fla.-based design company.
He also will kick off two of this year's Public Golf Forum events, the Golf Course News-sponsored business conference and expo for superintendents, owners, managers and developers of public golf facilities Oct. 26-27 in Palm Springs, Calif.
"It's great to see a publication focusing on public golf," Norman said, "and I'm excited to be part of this year's Forum." During his absence from the playing field, Norman has slipped to sixth in the world ranking and second, behind Hale Irwin, as golf's all-time money winner.
FRONT NINE:
The Southern Ohio PGA will offer lessons at Forest Fair Mall Centre Court Friday (4-8 p.m.), Saturday (noon-8 p.m.), Sunday (noon-4 p.m.). Cost: $6 per lesson or all four for $20. Proceeds benefit Kiwanis of Fairfield and Greenhills - Forest Park to help treat kids with Iodine Deficiency Disorder.
The Ohio Public Golfers Association will holds its 36-hole junior championship for boys and girls ages 13-20 Tuesday and Wednesday at Hills and Dales in Canton.
The OPGA will hold its 70th annual 72-hole medal play championship Aug. 3-7 at Apple Valley Golf Course in Howard, Ohio. The 1997 winner is Bill Stebelton from Lithopolis.
Melissa Beck, 1997 Women's Met champ and a two-time Met Junior Girls champ, added the 36-hole Cincinnati Women's Public Links Championship to her credit Saturday and Sunday at California and Neumann.
Wetherington's Nick Wunder, 15, and Miranda Smith of Lancaster were the winners of the 36-hole Maxfli Southern Ohio PGA Junior Championship at Fairfield. The pair earned berths in the National Maxfli PGA Junior Championship Aug. 19-22 at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
BACK NINE:
Cincinnatian Matt Amis lost on the third extra hole to Brian Bickle of Gallipolis in a three-way playoff at the Ohio Golf Association's Junior Championship under-15 division at Greene Country Club. Natalie Tucker, 19, of Lawrenceburg finished fourth in the Indiana Women's Amateur at Lafayette Country Club.
Brian Jones, Crest Hills assistant pro, and Jeff Lancaster, Hueston Woods assistant pro, tied for 15th at the Ohio Open at Tam O'Shanter in Canton.
SLICE OF LIFE:
Lefty Steve Flesch of Union, leading rookie money earner on the PGA Tour this year, was featured on this past weekend's "Inside the PGA Tour" TV show. He recalled the drive home with wife Lisa from Alabama after winning the Nike Tour Championship last October. "We had a 7 1/2-8 hour drive to Cincinnati, but I was so excited I could have driven to Alaska if I had to. I didn't want to sleep. We were talking about how great it was going to be on tour. I had been trying for six years and, here in one week, the door was opened for me."
Flesch, 31, has made the most of his opportunity, with 10 top-25 finishes and only one missed cut since March. He ranked 35th on the tour money list entering the weekend.
