ZANESVILLE, OH -- On Friday, Joe Wilson IV, a rising redshirt junior at Ohio State, shot a 4-under 68 in the final round to win the 119th Ohio Amateur Championship.
Wilson IV joins a storied list of Ohio Amateur champions including Arnold Palmer, Ben Curtis, John Cook, Jason Kokrak, and Frank R. Stranahan, among others.
The win was an emotional one for Wilson, who redshirted his sophomore year at Ohio State due to hip & ab surgery. After making the final putt to beat TJ Kreusch by a single stroke, Wilson fell to his knees.
The injury and following recovery forced him to miss virtually an entire year of competitive golf. In fact, he returned to competition last year at the 2024 Ohio Amateur Championship.
“It seemed really dire there for a moment with not being able to pick up a golf club,” Wilson recalled about his recovery process. “To come back again this year and finish it off, it feels amazing.”
BOUNCING BACK IN THE FINAL ROUND
After setting the 36-hole Ohio Amateur Championship scoring record (131, -13), Wilson found himself with a five-shot lead heading into the third round.
A solid first 10 holes strengthened his lead to six strokes, however, struggles would soon follow.
Wilson, a graduate of Lakota East High School near Cincinnati, bogeyed 11, 12, and 18, while adding in a double bogey on 15. These struggles combined with 3 late birdies and an eagle by Kreusch saw Wilson’s lead completely evaporate after the third round.
Wilson’s faith allowed him to mentally reset on Thursday night and into Friday morning.
“Golf is hard. I’ve found the habit of praying a lot on the golf course… After the double on 15 (in the 3rd round) I took a deep breath and thanked god for the moment. That kind of helped me reset and develop a chasing mindset, instead of protecting.” Wilson said
CHIP-IN TO TURN THE TIDES
Wilson, a native of West Chester, began the final day one shot back of Dayton’s TJ Kreusch.
As the front-nine went on, the leaderboard began to bunch for the first time all tournament long.
At one point during the third round, there was no one within five shots of the leader. At the same point of the final round, there were 16 players within five shots of the leader.
At the turn, there were four players tied for the lead, and none of them were Wilson.
By Wilson’s side all week was his mother, Angela.
“I was a little emotional in the middle of the back-nine, things weren’t looking great and I was two down.” Wilson recalled. “We kind of just took a breath and paused. And I said man, what a blessing it is that I get five hours of no phone time just walking with my mom. Four days of that has been pretty special.”
The big swing of the day would come on the par-4 14th.
Wilson, who trailed TJ Kreusch by two shots, missed his approach shot long of the green. Kreusch appeared to be in the driver’s seat as his approach came to rest within four feet for a birdie.
Wilson would go on to hole his chip, giving a huge first-pump as many friends and family following him roared in applause.
“I had a really good look for eagle on 13 and came up short. When I get nervous, I tend to come up short. So when I had that chip coming down the hill on 14, I knew I couldn’t leave that short. I hit a great chip and don’t really know what I did after. I kind of blacked out there for a second,” Wilson recalled.
Immediately after, Kreusch lipped out his birdie putt and settled for a par.
Just like that, Wilson was miraculously only one down heading into 15.
FINISHING TOUCHES
On the short par-5 15th and difficult par-4 16th, Wilson and Kreusch would both go birdie-par, respectively.
Up ahead, Springboro’s Jordan Gilkison missed a birdie putt on 18 that would’ve got him in the clubhouse at -15.
Seconds later, Wilson buried a birdie putt on 17 to tie Kreusch at -15. Again, giving a huge fist pump to friends and family.
This set-up a tie ballgame with one hole left, the par-3 18th.
Wilson, with the honor, hit his tee shot in the middle of the green. Kreusch followed with an approach that came up short of the putting surface.
Unfortunately for Kreusch, he’d have to endure a brutal stance on the side of a bunker for his chip shot. That chip shot rolled over the other side of the green, leading to a bogey.
That meant Wilson had two putts from 35-feet for the win. Two putts is exactly what it took, and Joe Wilson IV became the 119th Ohio Amateur champion.
INTO THE AM
With the win, Joe Wilson IV is exempt for the 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
"The U.S. Amateur is the pinnacle of amateur golf, and I routed my entire summer schedule for the most opportunities to play in the U.S. Am," Wilson said. "To have a chance to go out there and compete with the best is a privilege I don't take lightly."
The next Ohio Golf Association championship takes place Aug. 18-19, with the inaugural Ohio Public/Municipal Championship at Raymond Memorial GC.
