Courtesy of the Dayton Daily News By Bucky Albers, Contributing Writer BELLBROOK - Nick Paxson, a 23-year-old former University of Dayton golfer, won his second big golf event in a week Sunday afternoon when he added the Miami Valley Metropolitan Championship to his resume.
Paxson turned in a final round score of 65 and finished the 72-hole event at Sugar Valley Country Club with an 8-under-par score of 276. Zach Crawford of Vandalia, who shot 72 Sunday, finished second with a score of 282.
Paxson’s scores were 67-71-73-65 on the par-71 layout.
Last Monday, Paxson won the Southern Ohio PGA Open by three strokes at Maketewah Country Club in Cincinnati – his hometown. He was 11 under par. He is a graduate of St. Xavier High School.
“It’s great,” said Paxson, who graduated from UD this spring. “Going to school in Dayton, it’s been my second home.”
Paxson made birdie putts of 4, 5, 6, 12, 8 and 15 feet on Sunday.
He said he is thinking of turning professional but will go to the PGA Tour’s qualifying school as an amateur.
Three Wright State University players – Bryce Haney. Mitchell Lehigh, and Austin Schoonmaker — tied for third place with 284 totals. Jeff Scohy was sixth at 285 while Ryan Flick, Connor Quigley and Pete Samborsky shared ninth place at 287. Pete Betzold was 10th at 289.
The co-leader with Scohy after 36 holes, Paxson trailed Crawford, a 19-year-old Ohio University student, by one stroke at the beginning of Sunday’s round.
On Thursday, Scohy fired a 5-under-par 66 to grab the first round lead and Paxson shot 67. They were among five who broke par on a course softened by rain.
The fairways weren’t so soft on Friday and only one player – Wright State’s Haney – broke par. He shot 70 while Paxson, Ryan Reichley and Ryan Flick had even par scores of 71.
Going into the third round on Saturday, Paxson shared the lead with Scohy at 138 after Scohy turned in a 1-over par 72.
Crawford moved into the lead on Saturday when he shot 69 for a 3-under-par, 54-hole total of 210. Paxson shot 73 and slid into second position at 211. Haney posted a 69 to take third place at 212 and his WSU teammate, Lehigh, put a 5-under-par 66 on his card to move into a fourth-place tie at 213 with Scohy, whose score soared to 75 after he struggled to a triple bogey eight on the par 5 seventh hole.
Going into the final round it appeared that any one of eight players could win. They were Crawford, Paxson, Haney, Lehigh, former champions Scohy, Reichley and Samborsky and Schoonmaker, of Springboro.
Scores Photos | 
