Carroll Meadows pro Wackerly captures Toledo Open title

Paul Wackerly has been on a bit of a tear as of late which is fine for him.

Not so much, however, for any golfers competing against him.

Wackerly is affectionately known as Wack at Carroll Meadows Golf Course, where he is the head golf pro. And he’s garnered more top-five and top-10 finishes in professional events than this article has space to list.

A brief sample of Wackerly’s resume includes his senior division victory at the 60th Annual Indian River Open in December 2024, a fifth-place showing at the Northern Ohio PGA 2025 Ohio Senior Open Championship in May, and a performance at the Tigertown Open this July in which Wackerly won the senior division and came within a stroke of claiming the regular division, too.

Wackerly recently added more hardware to his trophy case earlier this month after winning the Northern Ohio PGA 95th Habitec Toledo Open. His 36-hole total of 138 was 4-under par, two strokes ahead of runner-up Gary Rusnak at the event hosted by Stone Oak Country Club.

“The conditions at Stone Oak were that the greens were extremely fast and undulating,” said Wackerly of the course. “A very tight golf course, needed to play from the fairways.”

In the first round, it looked as if Wackerly would run away with the title as he collected four birdies. Despite giving one back on the par-4 13th hole, he still finished the day 3-under.Wackerly’s score of 68 had him 4-up over Rusnak and 5-up over Gary Trivisonno, the third-place finisher.

Not so fast, however, as the Carroll Meadows pro was about to get tested on the second day. It happened immediately as Wackerly picked up a double bogey on the 424-yard, par-4 first hole. Rusnak, meanwhile, birdied the hole, and just like that, Wackerly’s lead was sliced to a singlestroke.

“That double came because it was early, the greens were fast, and I four-putted,” said Wackerly of his miscue.

Then, on the par-5 sixth hole, Rusnak birdied to pull even. Wackerly refused to panic, however.

“What I was thinking was to stay in the moment, stick to my game plan and my game would overcome the mental lapse,” said Wackerly “Rusnak took the lead a couple of times, but I just got into a grind-out-the-win mentality, which worked out.”

The last 12 holes turned into a game of cat and mouse; Wackerly pulled back into the lead as Rusnak bogeyed the par-4 ninth, then padded his advantage with birdies on the 10th and 11th holes. Rusnak stormed back, however, posting three consecutive birdies on holes 12 through 14. When Wackerly bogeyed the 14th, he was 1-down with four holes remaining. If there was a time to grind out the win, it was that moment.

Sure enough, cool as a cucumber, Wackerly birdied the par-3 16th to even up with Rusnak. Then, on the par-4 17th, Wackerly recorded his eighth birdie of the Open. Rusnak bogeyed, providing Wackerly with a two-stroke cushion entering the final hole.

As the weather turns and Ohio golfing season ends, Wackerly plans to head south where there are plenty more greens to hit and purses to plunder.

“I’m going to do a qualifier for a champions tour event in Cary, North Carolina, then a few tourneys in Florida in December, then several qualifiers next year,” he said.

Sounds like a full dance card for the consummate Minerva pro. Good for him, but bad for the competition.