Cincinnati, OH – Sam Arnold knows how to start strong. Back in 2025, Arnold hit the ground at a full sprint with a strong showing at PGA TOUR Champions Q-School that continued to the Ohio Cup and beyond. He’s up to his usual tricks in 2026, thanks to some great golf in familiar confines. 

Arnold won the Greater Cincinnati Match Play for the second-straight year after back-to-back days of marathon golf. Not that he needs any help in getting his hands on this trophy but Arnold grabbed the title at his home course, Vineyard Golf Club, where he is the General Manager.

It’s a championship he knows quite well. Arnold has won this event seven times, going back to when it was the Southwest Chapter Match Play. He has victories in four different decades.

 

Thanks to that win in 2025, Sam started off the bracket Monday morning as the 1-seed, matched up against SOPGA Hall of Famer Larry King. Arnold won that tough battle 2&1. He dispatched Ben Chandler in the quarterfinals 4&3, setting up Tuesday morning’s semi-final against Matt Brewer. 

In classic March Madness fashion, 15-seed Mike Thomas upset 2-seed Michael Auterson in the opening round. Jon Balyeat ended Thomas’ run in the quarters on his way to a semi-final matchup against Corey Weckerling. 

Both Arnold and Balyeat won their semi-finals in fairly convincing fashion, making the final a perfect matchup of guys playing good golf at the right time. 

Arnold wasted no time in grabbing an early lead at Vineyard, birdieing the first hole to take a 1-up lead. Arnold pushed the lead to 2-up after Balyeat dropped a shot on 11. He got it to three after stuffing his approach at the long par-3 13th. He eventually closed out the win on 17.

This victory signals the start of another great year of tournament golf for Sam. In 2025, he advanced to final qualifying at PGA TOUR Champions Q-School. He followed that up with Monday qualifying into his first TOUR Champions event, the Mitsubishi Classic outside Atlanta. 

Arnold took all of that moment and put it into a solid SOPGA Tournament season as well. He won the Greater Cincinnati Stroke Play at Blue Ash in July. He was Top 10 in scoring average across the season and cashed in at 13 of 15 tournaments. 

He was also a member of the victorious Southern Ohio PGA Ohio Cup team and was a massive part of Team SOPGA clinching the win in singles play. Arnold’s unbelievably clutch birdie on the final hole halved his match at a crucial junction. That half point jumpstarted a 30 minute stretch of golf that saw Southern Ohio regain some slipping momentum before closing out their counterparts to the north. Sam finished unbeaten at the Ohio Cup.

Sam Arnold makes a long birdie putt on #18 at the 2025 Ohio Cup. That putt halved his match and was a massive half point in Team SOPGA’s victory at Wedgewood Golf & Country Club.

The Southern Ohio PGA Tournament season rolls on with the Spring Meeting and Pro-Associate Monday, April 6 at Oasis Golf Club & Conference Center.

Click here to view the 2026 Southern Ohio PGA Tournament Schedule