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Joe Zinchini, PGA, set to receive 2025 Legacy Award along with 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Jim Saling
Selection into the Southern Ohio PGA Hall of Fame celebrates a lifetime of golf excellence and advancement of the game across the Southern Ohio Section. Established in 1997, the Hall of Fame honors PGA of America Golf Professionals who have served and continue to serve the Section in above and beyond ways that leave a profound and lasting impact on golfers and fellow professionals. Their dedication contributes to the lasting legacy and invaluable influence Southern Ohio PGA Professionals have had on their communities over the Section’s eight decade history.Ken Corliss, PGA
An Ohio golf legend in his own right, Ken Corliss, PGA, has dedicated more than five decades to the game as a PGA of America Golf Professional across the Buckeye state. Ken has made his mark as a high-level instructor, facility owner and fierce competitor in both the Northern Ohio and Southern Ohio PGA Sections. A two-time winner of the Bill Strausbaugh Award, Ken’s career started in the 1970s learning from the man himself. His career took him to Highland Meadows, Mohawk Golf Club, Cooks Creek and now to Wedgewood Golf and Country Club in Powell, Ohio.A leader from very early on in his career, Ken served on the NOPGA Board of Directors and has been a huge presence in bringing the game of golf to children with special needs through the Special Olympics. He’s also been a faithful and steadfast PGA HOPE instructor, serving our nation’s by showing them the therapeutic benefits of this incredible sport.
As a competitor, Corliss has played in seven PGA Professional Championships, eight Senior PGA Professional Championships, and multiple Champions Tour events, while also capturing four Toledo Open titles. His proudest professional moment came in 1999 when he competed in the Senior British Open.
Teaching remains his greatest passion, and he has guided countless players, including his daughter Kiki, a four-time All-American at the University of Findlay and NAIA National Champion. He has also mentored several assistants who went on to build successful careers in and beyond golf.
Corliss’s career has been recognized with the Southern Ohio PGA Merchandiser of the Year Award (2013), two Bill Strausbaugh Awards (2020, 2024), and induction into both the Toledo Golf Hall of Fame (2002) and Sylvania High School Hall of Fame (2016).
In recognition of his lifelong dedication and impact, Ken Corliss has been named to the Southern Ohio PGA Hall of Fame, Class of 2025.
Larry King, PGA
Few PGA Professionals in Southern Ohio have combined competitive excellence, facility leadership, and community impact quite like Larry King, PGA. For more than three decades, King has been a fixture in Cincinnati and Southern Ohio golf, most recently as the owner and head professional at Tri County Golf Ranch, where his commitment to teaching and growing the game has touched thousands of lives.
A PGA Member since 1992, King’s work ethic and standing across the Section is legendary. His persistence and attention to detail have become hallmarks of his career as an instructor, facility owner and player. His career saw him in leadership and instructional roles at Stillmeadow Country Club, Four Bridges Country Club, and across the Cincinnati Recreation Commission (CRC) system, before purchasing Tri County Golf Ranch in 2014.
On the competitive stage, King built an enviable record. He is a six-time Greater Cincinnati PGA Player of the Year and has qualified 17 times for the PGA Professional National Championship, as well as four appearances in the Senior PGA Professional National Championship. He won the Southern Ohio Section Championship in 1989 and Senior Section Championship in 2013. He is a mainstay on SOPGA Ohio Cup teams and is currently serving as an Assistant Captain.
Beyond playing accomplishments, King has been an influential leader in the Section. He served more than a decade in Cincinnati Chapter leadership, including terms as Secretary, Treasurer, Vice-President, and President from 2010–2012. He helped establish the Southern Ohio PGA Junior Tour and contributed his time on the Section Tournament Committee.
Perhaps King’s greatest legacy is in player development. While working with the CRC, he introduced more than 300 juniors annually to the game, including through the Tony Yates Inner City Youth Program. He has guided players at all levels, from beginners to collegiate competitors at Xavier University as well as professionals. He’s been the putting coach for 2019 SOPGA Hall of Famer Bob Sowards, PGA, for many years. In recognition of his dedication, he received the Southern Ohio PGA Player Development Award in 2020.
Today at Tri County Golf Ranch, King continues to build a welcoming environment for golfers of all ages and skill levels. With its par-3 course, driving range, and instructional programs, the facility reflects his lifelong mission: to make golf accessible, enjoyable, and meaningful for everyone.
The Southern Ohio PGA proudly welcomes Larry King, PGA, into the 2025 Hall of Fame Class, honoring a career defined by excellence, service, and a passion for growing the game.
Larry Cassady, PGA
Few people have shaped Columbus golf more than Larry Cassady, PGA, as a player, instructor and developer. A Columbus native, Cassady began his professional journey at Pickaway Country Club in 1963 before spending more than 20 years at Brookside Golf & Country Club. He went on to serve at Shamrock Golf Club, Jefferson Country Club, and Wedgewood Golf & Country Club. Now retired, he still manages to find time to share his passion for the game with many PGA Professionals and golfers across Columbus.
Beyond his club roles, Cassady contributed significantly to the Southern Ohio PGA, serving as an At-Large Director in the early 1970s and participating in numerous committees, including junior golf, tournaments, and player development. His leadership helped shape opportunities for both professionals and amateurs across the Section.
Cassady’s playing career was equally impressive. He tied the Brookside course record of 64, competed in the U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst, and qualified for the 1998 U.S. Senior Open at Riviera Country Club.
A passionate teacher, Cassady has mentored dozens of young professionals who went on to become head professionals, general managers, and leaders in the golf industry. His commitment to junior golf and player development has left a lasting mark on countless students, from future PGA professionals to community and business leaders, including Ohio Governors Jim Rhodes and John Kasich.
Along with his brother, Cassady was also hugely influential in the building and development of several golf properties and facilities in Central Ohio. Those are now golf mainstays across the city and in perfect position to capitalize on the post-pandemic golf boom.
Cassady has also been a champion of community engagement through golf, hosting and supporting events that benefited the Evans Scholars Foundation, Special Olympics, Columbus Children’s Hospital, Folds of Honor, and other charitable causes.
With a legacy defined by competitive excellence, dedicated service, and a lifelong commitment to growing the game, Larry Cassady exemplifies the very best of the PGA of America.
The Southern Ohio PGA proudly recognizes Larry Cassady, PGA, whose distinguished career has spanned more than six decades as a golf professional, mentor, and ambassador for the game.
The Legacy Award, which goes to a member who has shown exemplary devotion and commitment to enhancing the well-being of the Southern Ohio PGA, will be given to Cincinnati Country Club General Manager/COO Joe Zinchini, PGA. The 2018 Southern Ohio PGA Golf Professional of the Year, Zinchini’s reputation for service and professional development is renowned across the country, not just throughout the Section. As a past president of the Section, Zinchini spearheaded PGA REACH Southern Ohio initiatives and expanded perfectly timed professional development opportunities for anyone looking to enter the golf industry. Zinchini
has received multiple SOPGA Awards; the Bill Strausbaugh Award (2015, 2005), the PGA Professional Development Award (2006).
The Lifetime Achievement Award, which goes to those who have greatly contributed to the game of golf in the Southern Ohio Section PGA, will be given to Jim Saling of Saling Simms Associates. Valued partners of the SOPGA for more than two decades, Jim Saling’s personal support of Southern Ohio PGA Professionals is unmatched across the Section. Starting with the Ohio Cup in 2007 and continuing to this day, the partnership is directly responsible for helping expand the positive growth and outreach the Section has been able to make over that time.
Hall of Fame Inductees and 2025 SOPGA Award Winners will be honored at the annual Southern Ohio PGA Awards Dinner Friday, November 21 at Scioto Reserve Country Club.
BEAVERCREEK, OH (September 9, 2025) – Beavercreek Golf Club’s own Steve Klick, PGA, claimed his first Southern Ohio PGA Senior Section Championship, outlasting a talented field and holding off nerves to win on his home course.
Klick, the club’s Director of Operations, came from behind to grab the title, punctuating his incredible final round with a putting performance to remember. Starting two shots behind leaders Joe Moore, PGA, and Bob Sowards, PGA, Klick birdied the opening hole and rolled in five birdies on the front nine. He needed just 26 putts on the day, en route to clinching the title with a closing par on the 18th hole.
“It was a grind. I have to be honest, I had trouble breathing on the back nine,” Klick said. “It’s so difficult to win in our Section because there are so many good players. To finish first with Joe in second, both representing Beavercreek, is really special.”
Moore, Beavercreek’s Head Golf Professional, finished runner-up after a strong showing. Sowards, a six-time Senior Section Champion with 21 Major Championship appearances, praised Klick’s putting display: “That’s the best putting round I’ve ever seen in person.”
The win earns Klick a spot in the Senior PGA Professional Championship, to be held in October at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida. He will be joined by Moore, Sam Arnold, PGA, Anthony Andrews, PGA, and Mike Thomas, PGA, with Sowards already exempt. Paul Hollenbaugh, PGA, secured first alternate status with his solo seventh-place finish.
In the Legends Division, Ken Corliss, PGA, captured the title with rounds of 75–73, while Cory George, PGA, finished second.
“This is why you practice, why you stay late in the evenings,” Klick reflected. “This performance was building, and it came together at the right time. I’m humbled to represent the Southern Ohio PGA as Senior Champion.”
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On the job for a few months now, take a moment to get to know the next PGA WORKS Fellow of the SOPGA, Issie Spray. Issie is a native of Leeds, England and joins 22 others in the 2025-2026 class of PGA of America REACH Foundation WORKS Fellows.
SOPGA: Who is Issie Spray and what does she love to do?
Issie Spray: Things that make me, me, consist of my passion for following my favorite soccer team back home (Leeds United), crafting and scrapbooking, going to the movies and shopping. I recently took up fostering cats but failed at my first foster and ended up adopting. I love things that remind me of home, like watching the Great British Baking show. I also love exploring new areas of the States when possible.
SOPGA: What’s your sports background and how did you end up in the United States?
IS: My sports background primarily consists of soccer and a little field hockey. I started playing soccer aged six and grew up playing in academies in the UK. When I was 18, I decided to continue my education and soccer career out in the States where I played collegiate soccer in Alabama and Texas. I completed a sport management degree which has helped set me up to work in various sports like cross country/ track and field and now golf.
SOPGA: What has been your favorite part of working with the SOPGA?
IS: My favorite thing about working with the SOPGA so far has been getting involved with all the different types of events they organize and host. I’ve worked Section events, Junior events, DCP’s. I’ve attended PGA HOPE sessions where I have helped bridge a gap between veterans and golf. I have also been a part of a Smiling FORE Life event at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus which was really special. I feel as though I have accomplished and experienced a lot in just three and a half months with the section. My golf knowledge is also improving massively!
The PGA of America REACH Foundation is the 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of the PGA of America.
The PGA WORKS Fellowship, established in 2017, provides the opportunity for a paid immersion in a PGA of America Section’s Foundation operations. PGA Sections oversee the 41 regions of the PGA of America across the United States and help create the network of communication and community for PGA of America Golf Professionals and amateur golfers nationwide.
The PGA WORKS Fellowship is one of the most valuable entry-level opportunities for individuals from all backgrounds to gain experience in the golf industry. The Fellowship gives recent college and university graduates a first-hand look at everything that a career in the $102 billion golf industry can provide.
