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Chaz Zitzner found one of those grooves on Monday, June 29, one much older golfers search for every weekend. And rarely, if ever, find.
At the U.S. Kids Golf Ohio State Championship this week, Zitzner — at the age of 12 — shot a 9-under par 63 over 5,550 yards at Avalon Lakes Golf Club in Warren. The next day he shot 70. But the 63 was more than enough to help him to win the 12-year-old division of the tournament by three shots at 11-under par.
“When you shoot a 63 obviously everything was working,” Zitzner said. “I wasn’t pressing, it just was happening. I was hitting a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, I was making putts.”
Zitzner came close to winning this tournament the past two years, including once when he was tied for the lead with six holes left. But the rain came and ended the tournament. The scores reverted back to 27 holes and he didn’t win.
Zitzner, however, has other victories playing U.S. Kids events and others around the country. He’s won the Canadian Invitational and a Michigan tournament the past two years that attracts the best players. He holds the highest level of player in U.S. Kids and can play in any of their tournaments he chooses.
Chaz leaves Saturday for San Diego for the IMG World Championships, a tournament he didn’t have to play a qualifier for.
Zitzner began playing in tournaments when he was 6, and now he plays in about 20 every year. The passion began when he was 5 and watched the movie “Short Game” on Netflix about kids playing in the world championships. He told his dad Brad he wanted to play in that.
The first step for Brad, who considers himself a recreational golfer, was to take Chaz to the driving range a month before his sixth birthday.
“He was drawn to it from a very young age,” Brad said. “I wasn’t necessarily trying to find golf. I was more into baseball when he was young. When we went to the range for the first time, I knew he was probably going to be different when it came to golf.”
Chaz’s personal golf tour has taken him to courses the weekend golfers also dream about. He finished fifth in the Drive, Chip and Putt finals in 2025 at Augusta National, the home of the Masters.
He’s also made a lot of friends who travel to the same tournaments. And he plays in team events with a group based out of Scioto Country Club in Columbus.
“It’s really cool playing with all these people and seeing them at a lot of tournaments,” Chaz said.
Chaz enters seventh grade this year, looks forward to playing for the Kenton Ridge High School team in 2028 and continuing to be coached by Jake Houston, the head pro at Springfield Country Club, and Chris Yoder, his team coach at Scioto.
For now, he will keep traveling, playing and practicing. He drives the ball 240 yards, but he says his strength right now is his approach game. However, there is that one part of golf that always needs work.
“Probably putting,” he said. “I’m having good speeds, but it seems like nothing goes in.”
The next stages for Chaz are AJGA, Golfweek and Southern Ohio PGA events and the 12-15 age category. He qualified and played in his first AJGA event recently in Chicago and finished in the middle of the field on a 6,600-yard course.
“Just keep getting better,” he said, “keep playing good in these tournaments, hopefully winning a few.”
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At the U.S. Kids Golf Ohio State Championship this week, Zitzner — at the age of 12 — shot a 9-under par 63 over 5,550 yards at Avalon Lakes Golf Club in Warren. The next day he shot 70. But the 63 was more than enough to help him to win the 12-year-old division of the tournament by three shots at 11-under par.
“When you shoot a 63 obviously everything was working,” Zitzner said. “I wasn’t pressing, it just was happening. I was hitting a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, I was making putts.”
Zitzner came close to winning this tournament the past two years, including once when he was tied for the lead with six holes left. But the rain came and ended the tournament. The scores reverted back to 27 holes and he didn’t win.
Zitzner, however, has other victories playing U.S. Kids events and others around the country. He’s won the Canadian Invitational and a Michigan tournament the past two years that attracts the best players. He holds the highest level of player in U.S. Kids and can play in any of their tournaments he chooses.
Chaz leaves Saturday for San Diego for the IMG World Championships, a tournament he didn’t have to play a qualifier for.
Zitzner began playing in tournaments when he was 6, and now he plays in about 20 every year. The passion began when he was 5 and watched the movie “Short Game” on Netflix about kids playing in the world championships. He told his dad Brad he wanted to play in that.
The first step for Brad, who considers himself a recreational golfer, was to take Chaz to the driving range a month before his sixth birthday.
“He was drawn to it from a very young age,” Brad said. “I wasn’t necessarily trying to find golf. I was more into baseball when he was young. When we went to the range for the first time, I knew he was probably going to be different when it came to golf.”
Chaz’s personal golf tour has taken him to courses the weekend golfers also dream about. He finished fifth in the Drive, Chip and Putt finals in 2025 at Augusta National, the home of the Masters.
He’s also made a lot of friends who travel to the same tournaments. And he plays in team events with a group based out of Scioto Country Club in Columbus.
“It’s really cool playing with all these people and seeing them at a lot of tournaments,” Chaz said.
Chaz enters seventh grade this year, looks forward to playing for the Kenton Ridge High School team in 2028 and continuing to be coached by Jake Houston, the head pro at Springfield Country Club, and Chris Yoder, his team coach at Scioto.
For now, he will keep traveling, playing and practicing. He drives the ball 240 yards, but he says his strength right now is his approach game. However, there is that one part of golf that always needs work.
“Probably putting,” he said. “I’m having good speeds, but it seems like nothing goes in.”
The next stages for Chaz are AJGA, Golfweek and Southern Ohio PGA events and the 12-15 age category. He qualified and played in his first AJGA event recently in Chicago and finished in the middle of the field on a 6,600-yard course.
“Just keep getting better,” he said, “keep playing good in these tournaments, hopefully winning a few.”
Continue reading...
