The picturesque TPC @ River's Bend played host to 60 Southern Ohio PGA Professionals for the first event of the Slazenger Players Series on Monday May 1, 2006. The 6,735 yard layout played to a par of 72 and was fairly forgiving off the tee; however several difficult pin positions managed to level the playing field. The TPC @ River's Bend also hosted 36 Southern Ohio PGA Apprentices who were competing in their second event of the 2006 season. Both events were contested in an 18 hole stroke play format with SOPGA Player of the Year points on the line.

In the Apprentice Event, competition was intense with several scores hovering around even par. However, Mike Thomas of The Vineyard Golf Course and Jeff Ritchey of The Golf Club were the only two apprentices able to break par. Both Thomas and Ritchey persevered through the rainy conditions in the morning to fire rounds of one-under par 71 and claim a tie for first place in the event. Only three other competitors came close to the leaders, Jeff Olson, Ben Hensley, and Jumpei Okuda all came in with respectable rounds of one-over par 73.

In the Slazenger Players Series, the professionals were able to display their ball striking and touch around the Tournament Players Club. The first event of the year yielded several low scores and very tight competition. Finishing early, Dave Bahr of Maketewah Country Club and Sam Arnold of the Vineyard posted even-par 72's and looked tough to beat as the day came to an end. However, Chris Black of Valley View Golf Club posted a two-under par 70 and looked to be in prime position to pick up the victory after three-time PGA Club Professional of the Year Bob Sowards posted a one-under 71. Black would have to wait for the last pairing to finish to find that Joe Regner of The Golf Club compiled a stellar round of three-under par 69 to claim victory in the Slazenger Players Series first event of 2006.

The Southern Ohio PGA would like to thank all professionals and apprentices for participating in this year's first event. Congratulations to our champions, Joe Regner in the Slazenger Players Series Professional event and Mike Thomas and Jeff Ritchey in our Apprentice Event. We would also like to thank Slazenger for contributing $3,600 into the event purse. Finally, we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the entire staff of The TPC @ River's Bend for hosting the event. The entire course and facilities were in immaculate condition providing an enjoyable experience for all participants. Please visit the Southern Ohio PGA Section's website at southernohio.pga.com for complete tournament results and pictures from the event.