MI Golf Journal September 2025 by migolfjournal

Editor’sLetter

Fall means back to school ! For most parents, it’s a great time of the year. For golfers, it’s all about fall colors lining our favorite courses. For golfers on high school and college teams, it’s also the start of a new season filled with challenges and possibilities. And to that end, we bring you our annual September tradition of providing advanced looks at most of the college teams in Michigan. We hope you enjoy catching up with your alma mater. This month we also look at: The 2023 Michigan Golf Course of the Year, A-Ga-Ming Resort, situated on Torch Lake just north of Traverse City. What a magical place for experiencing the upcoming fall colors. Results of 8 different GAM tournaments

Results of the Sage Run Intercollegiate

A recap of MSU’s Brooke Biermann and her incredible runner up finish of the U.S. Women’s Amateur and how her grandfather got it all started The best golf courses in metro Detroit as picked by the Detroit Free Press

… and we have so much more ! Thank you as always for joining us on our Michigan golfing adventures.

TomLang EditorandPublisher

What's Inside:

18 Pg. 8

BrookeBiermann

ByMichaelCarey,MSUAthletics

When she was 7-years-old, former Michigan State women’s golfer Brooke Biermann was given a dozen yellow golf balls by her grandfather.

Nearly 15 years later, Biermann teed off at Bandon Dunes Golf Club – the favorite club of her grandfather, Bill – in the 125th U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship using a yellow golf ball.

He passed away soon after the gift to his granddaughter and in her third career tournament, at the Yorktown Golf Course in Illinois, Biermann made a hole-in-one with one of those balls and that was the start.

“That was when I was seven years old, so I've been playing them basically my whole golf career,” Biermann said. “You know, every time I tee it up he's with me, and actually this spot, it was his favorite … golf spot he's ever been to and he told my dad that before he passed away.

From the start of the U.S. Amateur on Aug. 4, her father, Bill, was by her side, pushing her cart and providing counsel as Brooke tied for 33rd place at 2-under par 142 through two rounds. Eventually, Biermann won her quarterfinal match, 3&2, but she went to extra holes in the semifinals – for the third time in five matches – and won in 19 holes.

The championship match was all square through 11 holes before Biermann posted bogies on three-straight holes, something she had not done the entire tournament, and finished the opening 18 holes down 3. She battled in the second 18 but could not cut into Megha Ganne’s lead and closed out at 33 holes, falling 4&3.

“I'm going to remember this moment for the rest of my life,” Biermann said. “I mean, what a cool spot to be with my family and just, you know, forget the golf. I mean, what a trip that I'll always remember.

“Just having my dad on the bag and relying so

hard on him throughout the whole week and trusting him, it just shows our relationship and how well we work together. That doesn't happen in a week. It has taken years and years of focus and grinding.”

Biermann was also able to share the weekend with friends, members of the MSU team, including Head Coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll, teammate / roommate Shannon Kennedy and a host of West Coast Spartans who came to the course.

Despite not winning the championship, it was a strong finish for Biermann in her final amateur competition before entering LPGA Tour Qualifying School this coming fall. Her resume includes reaching the finals of the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur, winning the 2024 Missouri Women’s Amateur, winning the 2023 NCAA Palm Beach Regional and earning AllAmerican honors and All-Big Ten Conference honors this year at Michigan State.

Patrick Wilkes-Krier Wins Michigan

PGA Professional Championship

ByGregJohnson ByGregJohnson

SOUTH LYON – Patrick Wilkes-Krier, the proprietor of Kendall Golf Academy in Ypsilanti, birdied the par 5 final hole with a 76-yard pitch shot approach and two-foot tap-in to win the 104th Michigan PGA Professional Championship at Walnut Creek Country Club.

It was the 41-year-old teaching professional’s first major state professional title after a series of near misses, edging past defending champion Ben Cook of Caledonia by one shot with a final evenpar 72 and a 4-under 212 tournament total.

It was the first individual professional win for Wilkes-Krier, an Ann Arbor native and resident, since 2012 during his eight years of mini-tour golf following college golf at Ball State University. He took home the $7,500 first-place check. In addition, he will be awarded an exemption into the PGA Tour’s Rocket Classic next summer at Detroit Golf Club, and he secured a spot in the PGA Professional National Championship at Bandon Dunes Resort in Oregon next spring.

Jay Jurecic’s ‘Miracle Finish’ Wins Tournament of Champions at Boyne

Mountain

BOYNE FALLS – First, Jay Jurecic of Crystal Falls erased a two-shot deficit on the par-5 No. 18 hole of the Alpine course with a 260-yard 3wood shot that bounced off the flagstick to inside one foot, resulting in a tap-in eagle-3.

Then in a sudden-death playoff with Grant Haefner of Bloomfield Hills, Jurecic’s third shot, a 45-yard pitch shot from the rough right of the green rolled to within five inches, and with the tap-in birdie he won the 33rd Tournament of Champions at Boyne Mountain Resort.

“I kept thinking all day, even when I was struggling there in the middle of the round a bit, that I still have a chance, I can still eagle 18,” he said. “I wasn’t banking on it hitting the flag and sticking it to a foot. But that was my hope, the miracle finish.”

Jurecic, 55 and a former school teacher chasing the PGA Tour Champions dream, shot a final round 5-under 67 for a 13-under 203 total.

A-Ga-Ming Shines with Torch Lake Backdrop A-Ga-Ming Shines with Torch Lake Backdrop

ByTomLang ByTomLang

With nationally-acclaimed Torch Lake’s shimmering aqua-blue waters surrounding the A-Ga-Ming Resort, golfers are in for a great challenge combined with a treat for the eyes –especially with the fast-approaching fall colors soon to pop in Northen Michigan.

The Sundance course, one of four in the A-GaMing portfolio, was named 2023 Michigan Golf Course of the Year. This season is the 20 anniversary of the Sundance course, created by the esteemed late Jerry Matthews, the ‘Johnny Appleseed’ of Michigan golf architecture. The Torch course, named for Torch Lake and its vista views, is the original layout on the property first developed in the mid 1970s. A-GaMing co-owners Mike Brown and Larry Lavely also own and operate nearby to the north Antrim Dells and the Charlevoix Country Club, both being Matthew’s designs as well. th

“The main thing for me is the scenery, and it’s got a nice layout,” Brian Mittelstaedt of Royal Oak said about Sundance after playing an early-

morning round alongside his dad, Oscar, with me tagging along. “It’s playable for all skill levels but there’s also some challenging holes for the better players out there – the kind that make you come back. My dad and I played here last year, and when we were making tee times, I said we need to go back so I can give it another go.

“I feel that other resorts in the area maybe get more accolades, and I’d pick Sundance over those. I really would. For the value, and the number one thing I appreciate on golf courses are the greens, how do they roll? And the under-appreciated thing (by others) is the tee boxes. Are they level and set up nicely for you? And they give that for us here.”

Being the 2023 Michigan Golf Course of the Year gives Brown and Lavely a sense of pride, but it also brings with it the responsibility to live up to the title.

“There’s a lot of satisfaction in being recognized for all the work that we do,” he said. “There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that

most golfers don’t know about. We host the local high school boys’ and girls’ teams. We host the college tournament (Central Michigan University), we host the First Tee (Northern Michigan) program. We want to do our part, and you have to build golf for the future. We employe a ton of high school and college kids, too.

“When people are looking at golf and maybe comparing us to another resort, I think the award gets us in the door with some of them. Then it’s about how you take care of them, and the course conditions. People comment about our good customer service over and over and over again. Everyone is here to have a good time, and you should have a smile on your face 99.99 percent of the time when you’re golfing,” Brown added.

When it comes to customer service, I give the nod to Brown and Lavely. As owners they could hide in a back room and delegate. But at A-Ga-Ming, Brown is regularly at the lodging desk checking in guests, and Lavely runs the

day-to-day show for golfers out of the pro shop. Both are front and center much of the time. Brown told me that ongoing improvements are always in order at A-Ga-Ming. There is plenty of focus right now on giving the Torch course “ a haircut” as well as an irrigation project that was completed on the back nine in the spring to replace the original watering system.

“It just makes a world of difference,” Brown said. “The old single row system verses a new modern, double row irrigation system; it just makes the turf so much better.”

There’s also a new two-story condominium being built on the front nine of Sundance to add more lodging. When the partners took over only a few years out of college at Central Michigan at ages 27, there were 20 beds on property. Now they have over 200. The week I visited in early August there was a group of 48 and a couple of groups of 12 and 16.

“We get a ton of groups and that’s really our Continuesonnextpage>>

bread and butter, the stay and play packages,” Brown said. “Our lodging is set up perfectly for those kinds of groups, the golfers who get together once a year and they travel.

Sometimes they bounce around (to different resorts each year) but a lot of times they’ll come here and end up staying here. We’ve got groups who have been coming more than 30 years.”

TheGolf:

I really enjoyed Sundance. The links layout weaves across a flowing landscape with surprising vistas and drop-down elevated tees spread throughout. The layout has some tree-lined fairways, but for the most part, it’s wide open. However, beware of the 115 sand bunkers to avoid. Depending on the time of year, the heather that separates holes has a beautiful golden glow.

TheTorchcourse is a classic northern course with lots of trees and a few water features to avoid.

But with only 15 sand bunkers, Brown said women tend to play the Torch more than they do Sundance.

I really enjoyed the Torch course – and bonus – I shot my low round of the summer on the front nine – yet unfortunately the back nine was a different matter … Don’t ask.

“No. 7 (at Torch) was my favorite view,” said Paul Gross, former long-time meteorologist at Chan. 4 TV in Detroit, who

joined me that day. “Just standing there and looking at Torch Lake off in the distance. It’s just such a beautiful hole and you can just really

TorchCourse Hole6

SundanceHole18

appreciate the vista that comes into view as you approach that tee box. As well as the view from the clubhouse right there.”

Holes 7-9 was the favorite stretch of three consecutive holes on Torch for both me and Paul. No. 7 is the signature par 3 with Torch Lake as a prominent backdrop, followed by a short par four off an elevated tee with a pond to avoid guarding the approach left of the green. No. 9 goes right to left and climbs a little to an elevated green.

“I have truly enjoyed the rounds I have played at Torch Course and at Antrim Dells, because some of the holes have such beautiful views it truly is Up North golf at its finest and really is a great experience,” Gross added. AntrimDells, about 15 minutes to the north, joined the A-Ga-Ming family in 2010. The property is run day-to-day by PGA member Dave Hill, who has spent most of his life working at northern Michigan resorts. Antrin

Dells’ main feature is a tall ridge running the length of the property with the front nine on one side and the back nine on the other. The clubhouse is perched on top of the ridge and provides a nice view of Grand Traverse Bay sunsets to the west. Both the 1 and 10 tee shots are highly elevated to a fairway below. st th

“We’ve got the natural beauty, the wildlife, the view of the bay from the clubhouse,” Hill said.

“There’s nothing phony. We didn’t create anything or build anything. It was all just here, and the Mathews brought the course to life.

“I always love the sunsets, and it’s a course you can grow old on (he’s 64). It’s plenty challenging. We used to co-host the Michigan Amateur here for the stoke play portion in the 1980s (when match play concluded at Belvedere). The course record was set at 66 by Steve Jones, the U.S. Open champ.

“We get a lot of people just getting into the game, because it doesn’t crush you, but I can make it tough for anyone who is a scratch handicap and they would have a hard time shooting 75. But we don’t do that here,” Hill concluded.

The CharlevoixCountryClub is the final course in the A-Ga-Ming portfolio and it’s a treat. I was expecting a flat and boring piece of ground. It is generally flat, but certainly not boring. What I found was a lush, country club setting but for a public fee course – making for a nice combination favoring golfers.

The front nine is pretty wide open with some water features you can avoid. While it’s generally more flat it features attractive manmade mounding. The back nine is wooded, but most holes have the trees pushed back to the sides to act as a visual framework, not a

penalty. The exception is hole 10 which is a shocking change from the front nine.

The property is close enough to Lake Michigan that a nice breeze is a regular feature, improving play on hot days. The back nine features very little housing with just a smattering of structures here and there.

However, the historic and very large barn near the 16 tee is a phenomenal venue for weddings and parties. th

All in all, very good play on a course that feels like a hybrid of the Torch course and Sundance – where a little bit of both can be found at Charlevoix Country Club.

For golfers looking for a great male or female buddies’ golf trip, A-Ga-Ming will deliver what you need. More information: https://a-gaming.com/

West Virginia Wins 6 Annual th

Sage Run Intercollegiate

For two days each September, Island Resort & Casino turns over the Sage Run course to college men’s teams to test their skills. This year, most of the teams set record after record during ideal golf weather of clear skies and mid 70s temperatures.

West Virginia came out on top at 55-under as a team for the 54-hole tournament, a new scoring record for the tournament. Ryan Leach of West Virginia was medalist at 199 (17-under par) followed closely by teammate Kalab Wilson at 16-under. Three players tied for 3 at 16-under par: MSU newcomer McCoy Biagioli (a junior transfer from Ferris State), Andre Zhu of Purdue and Nicholas Turowski of West Virginia. rd

Purdue took second place in team scoring at 49under par.

Michigan tied for third at 42-under as a team and Michigan State was fourth at 32-under par. Michigan’s 822 (-42) is a new program record for team score. Overall, U-M tied or set 24 career and program records, including, for the first

time in program history, all five starters finishing under par. Sophomore RJ Arone led the way with a new career-low 54-hole total of 205 (-11), tying him for eighth place.

Biagioli’s score of 201 in his debut as a Spartan is tied for the second-lowest 54-hole tournament score in MSU program history and came up one shot short of tying the school record, set by Drew Hackett in 2022. Biagioli was the 2024 Michigan Amateur champion while still at Ferris State.

The college tournament dates back to 2019 when Liberty University won. After a Covid year off, Michigan State won the 2021 event, and Michigan won it in 2023.

“This tournament continues to build a strong tradition and reputation for attracting top collegiate programs from across the country,” said Tony Mancilla, General Manager of Island Resort & Casino. “Sage Run provides a unique and challenging layout that tests every part of a player’s game. We love seeing these athletes and their families experience all that our resort and golf courses have to offer.”

Kim Moore Takes Her Second USGA Crown Kim Moore Takes Her Second USGA Crown

ByTomLang

It was twice as nice for Kim Moore. The recently former Battle Creek resident and previous Western Michigan University women’s golf coach took the crown of U.S. Adaptive Open in the Women's Overall category this summer in a come-from-behind effort when she was three shots out of the lead after Round 2 of the three-round championship.

Her final round 75 allowed Moore to claim her second career U.S. Adaptive Open title. Moore won her first USGA championship at the inaugural Adaptive Open at Pinehurst No. 6 in North Carolina in 2022.

“It’s so special, being the first to have your name on it twice was a goal of mine, and while it took longer than I thought, that makes it all worth it in the end,” Moore told me before taking part in a special celebrity competition at the Ally Challenge in late August to raise funds for local schools. “It was a special week and everything kind of clicked and I’m excited to be a repeat champion.”

Moore said she believes the U.S. Adaptive Open has certainly helped advance the category of adaptive golf and she loves the current state of the game. Moore said there are so many more camps and clinics being introduced due to the Adaptive Open worldwide. One such clinic took place at

Warwick Hills on the Monday of Ally Challenge week, and Moore was helping teach.

“The sponsorships have grown, the media coverage has grown,” she said. “Great days ahead. There’s more visibility amongst the adaptive golf community as well that adaptive golf is available.

“I didn’t even know about any adaptive golf until I was out of college,” Moore added. “That was 2003 and they called it amputee golf. It’s continued to grow and it’s now all-inclusive. I think it was a big boost when trying to get (golf) into the Paralympics. That really helped things blossom and helped grow the game.”

Military veterans have often said that the game of golf literally saved their lives, whether they are amputees or when depression and thoughts of suicide chances are diminished due to their newfound activity. Moore agreed.

“People who have had accidents (car, on the job, etc.) and have become impaired somehow, are now getting into the game –or having known the game before and now understanding that they can do it again. That’s really increased their positivity and mental health. You hear these positive stories all the time. The game of golf can be adapted in so many ways, and you can see it with all these different participants.”

Moore, who was born without a right foot, was let go in late April from the helm of the Broncos and has returned to her hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana to utilize her PGA of America golf pro status. She is specializing in camps and clinics for people with disabilities but also teaches all skills levels and ages.

TOP METRO DETROIT GOLF

Top Metro Detroit Courses, County by County Top Metro Detroit Courses, County by County

portal to Petoskey, Traverse City, Grayling and Gaylord within a densely populated suburb. Macomb County, The Orchards: We’re always in such a rush. And that’s often true of our experiences at

AschosenbyFreePressgolfwriterCarlosMonarez

AschosenbyFreePressgolfwriterCarlosMonarez

Excerpts of Carlos’ picks in summer of 2025, used with permission:

LivingstonCounty,MooseRidge:

There are many wonderful and beautiful public courses in metro Detroit, but few deserve the distinction of being compared to an Up North feel.

Moose Ridge Golf Course in South Lyon is among the few courses that deserve that high honor, which helped it earn our pick as the Free Press’ Top Public Course in Livingston County.

Walking into the Montana lodge-style clubhouse sets the tone for the bucolic experience of playing Moose Ridge, which expertly pairs seclusion, scenery, elevation, length and challenge a mere three miles from a major freeway.

The owners and developers of Moose Ridge…didn’t just build a golf course. They somehow built golf’s version of C.S. Lewis’ wardrobe to Narnia, creating a

golf courses we play regularly. No need to soak in the ambiance. Drive in, grab your clubs and shoes, slam the trunk, pay the greens fee and get to the first tee with five minutes to spare and that’s on a good day.

But the Orchards deserves a second look, and a lingering one at that. While the beautiful, challenging and varied Robert Trent Jones Jr. course in Washington Township could easily stand on its own without any accompaniment, it’s all the little touches that truly elevate the experience and make it the Free Press’ Top Public Course in Macomb County.

The entire experience feels upscale, even urbane, but without any hint of stuffiness. That’s a hard trick to pull off in the publicgolf sphere. The Orchards likes to tout its motto of being “Your club for the day,”

and it has stayed faithful to that principle since it opened in 1993. As for the course, there are prettier ones and nicer settings. But the exceptional layout makes it feel more like a tournament-caliber course than any other public track in metro Detroit. That’s probably why it regularly hosts the Monday qualifier for the PGA Tour’s Rocket Classic.

MonroeCounty,

TheLegacy:

The best part of The Legacy by Arthur Hills is that it doesn’t try to be something it’s not. You won’t find gimmicky rock walls, out-ofplace water features or elevation changes that appear out of nowhere.

No, the Legacy knows what it is: A farmland course in Ottawa Lake that takes its pastoral cues from surrounding pastures and imbues it with some of that same unadorned, windswept beauty. There’s an earthy charm to all of it, but mostly The Legacy earns its spot as the Free Press’ Top Public Course in Monroe County by virtue of its challenge, variety of design and playability from five sets of tees that top out at just over 6,800 yards.

OaklandCounty,

Shepherd’sHollow: There’s simply no getting around the massive advantage Shepherd’s Hollow Golf Club enjoys. It sits on

350 acres of undulating, wooded terrain in Clarkston that sits next to a park-like retreat for Jesuits priests and brothers.

There isn’t a more beautiful and serene setting for a golf course in metro Detroit, if not the entire state, and that's why we ' re picking it as the Free Press’ Top Public Golf Course in Oakland County.

A round here is a holistic, luxe experience that starts from the winding drive through the tall pines onto the property. It lasts until the final bite of seared scallops grenobloise and truffle fries paired with Moet and Chandon champagne during a post-round meal in the handsome white clubhouse reminiscent of South Carolina's Low Country estates.

Between your arrival and departure, you get an exquisite taste of some of the prettiest 27 holes of golf anywhere in Michigan. Like very few other courses in metro Detroit, the scenery, undulating topography and secluded nature of the entire property make Shepherd’s Hollow feel like a true facsimile of playing Up North.

WayneCounty,TheCardinal:

It’s a rare thing when a high-end course opens, and it’s even rarer when that course opens to the acclaim The Cardinal at St. John’s earned shortly after its 2024 debut.

Architect Ray Hearn did a masterful job reworking and pretty much reinventing St. John’s uninspiring 27-hole resort course from the 1980s and transforming it into an upscale track in Plymouth that’s both challenging, pretty and playable.

Because it’s attached to a beautiful red-brick resort, playing The Cardinal feels like an entire luxury experience. The course is immaculate

and feels like a nice throwback – you know, like way back in the 1990s – with a fairly straightforward design that doesn’t try to trick you into thinking you’re in Scotland. Hearn resisted the urge of most his peers who show up and immediately proclaim: “We’ve got to get rid of 30,000 trees!”

It’s American parkland golf at its bucolic best: big greens that are subtle without being devious, boulder-lined ponds, perfect sand in manageable bunkers that are outlined by normal rough. No pot bunkers or fescue and native grasses that catch, trap and steal your ball, if not your chance of saving par or bogey.

WashtenawCounty, UniversityofMichiganGolfCourse:

The University of Michigan Golf Course is the Free Press’ Top Public Golf Course in Washtenaw County. When it comes to the reason, only two words are truly necessary: Alister MacKenzie.

He’s the architect who designed Augusta

CardinalHole6

National Golf Club. So, yeah. ’Nuff said. I’ve played this course enough times, dreamed about it more than I care to admit and thought about it so much over the past quarter-century that I could bore most golf nuts with scores of minutia.

So let me keep it simple. The U-M course is a beautiful piece of property that takes advantage of its natural topography and surprising amounts of elevation. It could be renamed Ann Arbor Hills.

And let’s be real. It’s amazing that the course sits across the street from Michigan Stadium and offers a spectacular view of downtown Ann Arbor from the 18 tee box, which makes it one of the best finishing holes in the state.

OCEANA GOLF CLUB’S GROWTH

Oceana Golf Club Growing the Game

ByTomLang ByTomLang

Forgive me … I am guilty of having some of my favorite golf stories.

This one in particular is a west Michigan community golf course built by the townspeople who lived there in the 1960s. It thrived on the pride of hands that got dirty building it. It allowed kids a safe place to play and brought joy to adult golfers in the region. Their own place, that they created. We’re talking about Oceana Golf Club.

But just a few months before Covid-19 hit, the property was ready to file for bankruptcy and ready to close its doors after serving the rural fruit-orchards area of Shelby and Hart for roughly 60 years.

One of those kids who found it a safe place growing up, Jason Wenk, grew up to make it big in the financial world and purchased a controlling share of the property to save it in March of 2020, just eight days before the pandemic shutdown. As we know, the blessing in disguise is that the sport of golf has thrived ever since. Oceana continues to thrive to this day with Wenk investing money into it, including the addition of three new holes, which allowed the expansion of a first-ever true driving range and practice area this summer, where the original 15th and 16th holes used to be. For the first 60 years, all that golfers had there was a net to hit into near the old cart barn, or some would jump out on holes near the clubhouse to warm up but got in the way of the grounds crew.

“I've shared many times how much golf, and in particular, golf in Oceana County, helped shape my own life,” Wenk said recently. “As a teenager there was no place I'd rather be than a golf course. It was a place where you learn a lot, including that you can achieve anything if you ' re willing to put the work in. Having a world class practice area is quite nostalgic for me, and I really hope it helps usher in another generation of West

OCEANA GOLF CLUB’S GROWTH

Michigan golfers. It's a great addition to our amazing golf course, but also a great addition to the area, which has been sorely missing a place to work on every aspect of your game.”

A longtime member, Tom Kirk, who as a child picked rocks out of the ground during its build in the early 1960s, is a 6-time club champion.

“When I started playing at Oceana in the spring of 1963, it was just the original nine holes and I practiced by hitting balls into the orchard across the road from my house,” Kirk said. “The practice area is something that we have long talked about but were never able to attain. Jason's commitment to OGC and its improvement is much appreciated.”

The new practice range has the old 16th green as a chipping and putting surface. It’s over 260 yards deep with a big hill at the end that stops balls from going into the woods. It’s the width of more than

two side-by-side golf holes. Oceana built a new 14th and 15th holes last year to make the accommodation possible.

Shelby High School launched a girl’s golf program for the first time this fall. It’s starting as a club team to hopefully make it a varsity program in the fall of 2026. This practice range is a great addition to make that happen. There are still hopes to make it a future hub for First Tee West Michigan. A building at the site is planned for future meeting and storage space for developing more golfers. Independent teachers are already using the range to give lessons.

“We want to make Oceana known as a home for Junior golf, so the kids will keep coming back as they grow,” said Marc Inglis, director of golf operations at Oceana for more than three decades. “It’s a long-term build.”

GAM Championship: Lake Orion’s Justin Sui Cruises to Victory

ByGregJohnson ByGregJohnson

Justin Sui of Lake Orion and the University of Florida finished off a remarkable golf tournament with a final 35-foot exclamation point birdie putt and understandably said he felt amazing.

“I always wanted a major Michigan title,” he said after collecting just that in winning the 104th GAM Championship at Radrick Farms Golf Club.

“I was really happy to make that last putt for birdie and not be over-par for any round this week.”

Sui shot a 16-under 194 total, which included a course and tournament record 60 in the first of three rounds, overall winning by 12 shots.

Vibhav Alokam of Ypsilanti, a Villanova University golfer, finished second at 4-under 206 with a closing 75. Zach Koerner of Laingsburg, most recently a Ferris State University golfer, shot 71 for 209 and third place.

Alokam said of Sui: “He played amazingly. It was awesome to see a 60 on the board. That doesn’t happen in tournaments in Michigan or anywhere that often. It’s hard to feel bad about finishing second with the way he played.”

GAM Mid-Amateur

Championship: David Praet Makes Eagle on 18 for Win GAM Mid-Amateur Championship: David Praet Makes Eagle on 18 for Win

David Praet of Lake Orion rolled in a 50-foot eagle putt on the par 5 closing hole to win the 43rd GAM Mid-Amateur Championship at The Highlands at Harbor Springs.

The 39-year-old investment banker came to the 18th hole of the Moor course trailing Ryan Johnson of Bloomfield Hills and Anthony Sorentino of Rochester Hills by one shot. He hit a 193-yard 6-iron second shot deep into the large green and then made the long eagle-putt to cap a final-round 1-under 69, which catapulted him into the lead.

Johnson, who had led for most of the round, made par on the final hole and finished with a 70 for 139. Also at 139 was Sorentino, who in a group ahead had also eagled 18 to shoot a closing 68.

“This means everything,” Praet, an Indianwood Golf & Country Club member, said. “I’ve been playing golf in Michigan for a long time... I just feel like this validates a lot of hard work and determination.”

Yanxuan Peng Maintains Lead, Wins

34th GAM Women’s Championship

ByGregJohnson ByGregJohnson

Yanxuan Peng of China, a 16-year-old GAM member visiting Michigan this summer to explore college golf opportunities, won the 34th GAM Women’s Championship at Oakland University Golf & Learning Center.

Grace Slocum of Traverse City, who this fall joins the University of Wisconsin golf team, shot 144, and finished second. Kate Brody of Grand Blanc, who is already on the team at Wisconsin and earlier won the Illinois Women’s Open Championship, shot 146 and tied for third with Laura Bavaird of Trenton, the GAM Women’s Mid-Amateur champion earlier this summer.

Rachael Krieger of Commerce Township and Grand Valley State University shot 75 for 147 and fifth place. Macie Elzinga of Byron Center and Bowling Green State University, the recent Michigan Women’s Amateur Champion, was next at 148, and two-time defending champion Bridget Boczar of Canton and Baylor University shot 149. Slocum said a runner-up finish will give her momentum for college golf. The highlight of her round came at hole 14 where she holed out an approach shot for an eagle 2.

Lewiston’s Lori Schlicher Wins 29th GAM Women’s Senior Championship

Lori Schlicher of Lewiston had a big enough lead that she could survive what she called a goof-around double-bogey on No. 18 following a bogey at 17 and still win.

With a closing 79 for 156 Schlicher won the 29th GAM Women’s Senior Championship at Petoskey-Bay View Country Club.

Cathy Netter of Monroe shot a final 77 for 157 and second place, and two-time former past champion Julie Massa of Pentwater shot 80 for 160 and third place.

“I thought I was in good shape,” Schlicher said of playing in the lead through the final round. “I didn’t realize somebody was coming from behind. I kind of goofed around on 18, and I’m lucky I didn’t get caught. Luck helps.” Consecutive birdies on holes 11 and 12 keyed the round for Schlicher.

Last year’s GAM Senior Women’s Player of the Year, Schlicher will play in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at The Omni Resort in Hot Springs, Va. Sept. 13-18.

GAM WOMEN’S FOUR-BALL: Lori

Schlicher and Donna Tepper, Rachel Niskanen and Zoe Dull Emerge as Winning Teams

Schlicher and Donna Tepper, Rachel

Niskanen and Zoe Dull Emerge as Winning Teams

Lori Schlicher of Lewiston and Donna Tepper of Grosse Pointe Park got the 2025 win after runnerup finishes the last two years, and Central Michigan University teammates Rachel Niskanen of Negaunee and Zoe Dull of Spring Lake already have the teamwork thing worked out.

Schlicher and Tepper won the Senior Division and Niskanen and Dull won the Overall Division in the 15th GAM Women’s Four-Ball Championship at Atlas Valley Golf Club in Grand Blanc.

The two teams will have their names inscribed on the permanent tournament trophy, which is named The Garety/Hiestand Trophy in honor of Michigan Golf Hall of Fame members Joan Garety and Mary Jane Hiestand.

Garety and her longtime four-ball teammate Terry Delcamp were the defending champions and have their names on the trophy eight times. They finished second this time to Schlicher and Tepper, who shot a final 2-under 70 for 141 and a three-shot win. Garety, who is from Ada, and Delcamp, who is formerly of Grand Blanc, closed with a 144.

JP Levan of Grand Rapids Wins GAM Boys’ Championship in Playoff

JP Levan of Grand Rapids made a 15-foot birdie putt on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff with Harris Hoekwater, also of Grand Rapids, to win the GAM Boys’ Championship at Washtenaw Golf Club.

It was the second win of the season for Levan, an East Grand Rapids High School golfer who also won the Michigan Junior Amateur earlier this summer, and just narrowly missed the cut in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.

Levan shot a 72 to go with his 3-under 69 from the first round for a 141 total, and Hoekwater, a South Christian High School golfer who won the 15-and-under title a year ago at this tournament, rallied with birdies at Nos. 15 and 17 to shoot 69 and force the playoff.

“I hit a drive, pretty far left there, but ended up hitting a good hybrid up there and got up and down for the birdie with a good putt,” Levan said about the third playoff hole.

GAM 14 & UNDER MATCH PLAY:

Watson Mercier of Novi, Belen

Berishaj of Birmingham Win

ByGregJohnson ByGregJohnson

LANSING – Watson Mercier of Novi and Belen Berishaj of Birmingham emerged as champions of the 9th GAM 14 &Under Match Play Championship at Woodside Golf Course.

Mercier, 13, topped the field of boys after beating Leland DeKorver of Jenison 1-up in the nine-hole championship match, and Berishaj, 12, topped the field of girls with a 2 and 1 nine-hole championship match win over Eleanor O’Grady of Grand Rapids.

It was Mercier’s second GAM title. He won the GAM 12-and-Under Championship last summer. In the girls’ competition, Berishaj became a firsttime GAM winner, though she did reach match play in the Michigan Junior Girls’ Amateur earlier this summer.

“It’s really special to win,” she said, noting she lost to the eventual 15-and-under Michigan Girls’ Junior Amateur champion Cameron Baker in her previous match play experience. “This time I was able to beat a really good player.”

Dennis Guerriero Wins Michigan Net Amateur Championship

GRAND BLANC – Dennis Guerriero, a South Carolina resident who spends time with his 88-year-old mother in Brighton in the summer and maintains a GAM membership, shot a closing net 72 at Atlas Valley Golf Club to win the 24th Michigan Net Amateur Championship.

It was the first GAM win for the 64-year-old mortgage company owner who has competed in GAM net events the last few years.

“First of all, I want to thank God,” he said. “I control nothing. I go out there and play something that is fun, and I love doing it. God determines what happens and so I appreciate what he’s done for me today.”

Guerriero shot a net 5-under 67 in the first round to set the pace and then held the lead through the rainy second round. His net 5under 139 total was three shots clear of the field and made possible by his gross scores of 83 and 88 and 16 strokes of handicap. Jason Korody of Howell, playing with seven strokes of handicap, shot a second consecutive net 71 for 142 and second place.

Season Preview: Eastern Mich Men

AndyWalker, head coach of the Eastern Michigan University men’s golf program, announced that the Eagles are set to compete in 13 tournaments for the 2025-26 season with events stretching from Michigan and Ohio to California and Hawaii.

“We will be playing in 11 different states, which is extremely important so we can see different types of grasses, conditions, weather, and time zones,” Walker said of the schedule. “We did this intentionally so come NCAA Regional time; this team won’t be surprised no matter where we are sent. I’m not much of a goal setter, but more of a habit maker.

Although this team has five newcomers, this is a veteran group who have all had success collegiately or internationally. If this team does what it’s supposed to do in practice, then we should contend to win a few events and CoachWalkerandRoryMcDonald-O'Brien

give ourselves a great chance to advance to the NCAA Championship in Carlsbad.” The journey to the NCAA Champsions gets underway Sept. 8-9 with the Whirlwind Collegiate Invitational, in Chandler, Ariz., hosted by the Big Ten’s USC. Additionally, individual competitors could head to Pierson, Mich., for the Pilgrim’s Run Invitational at Pilgrim’s Run Golf Club.

“I’m really excited to get started this fall in Arizona on a course that I’ve competed on dozens of times and had a lot of success on,” Walker said.

“Coach Ryan Yip has also played very well at Whirlwind. I’m looking forward to playing Chicago Highlands and Point O’Woods CC, where I had a successful run at the Western Amateur, and am certainly looking forward to ending our fall season at Kapolei in Hawaii. The spring is going to end very strong with one of the best events in the country at Stanford and the Calusa Cup in Naples, Fla., one of the most prestigious to be invited to.”

Here in the home state, Eastern will take part in the inaugural Jim DeLapa Collegiate, Sept. 28-29, with Central Michigan University

FromAlexRyan FromAlexRyan

COLLEGE CORNER

serving as host at Point O’Woods Golf Course. The fall slate ends, Nov. 4-6, at the Kapolei Invitational, hosted by the University of Hawaii, on Kapolei Golf Club’s Ocean Course in Kapolei, Hawaii.

A huge highlight before closing the regular-season campaign is the Muirfield Shootout, April 20, at Jack Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, hosted by Miami University. When the regular season is behind them, the Eagles will turn their attention to championship crowns as they will head to Zionsville, Ind., May 3-5, to compete in the 2026 MidAmerican Conference Championships at Holiday Farms Country Club. The winner of the team and individual titles will earn automatic berths into the NCAA Regionals, which are slated to run May 18-20 at six locations, including Athens, Ga.

Season Preview:

Eastern Mich Women Season Preview:

Eastern Mich Women

The Eastern Michigan women’s golf program is set to compete in 12 events that will take the Eagles to eight different states while also playing once in Mexico. Eastern will play host to events this year with one in Mazatlán, Mexico, and the other, in a combined effort with the University of Southern California, in California.

“We have to thank the leadership of Eastern Michigan and GameAbove for allowing us to have such an elite schedule,” coach Josh Brewer said. “Everyone will see we play a marquee national schedule; however, we are most excited to be the host school for two new events in women’s golf: The GameAbove Invitational in Palos Verdes, Calif., where we will co-host with USC, and the Estrella del Mar Invitational presented by Lorena Ochoa in Mexico. These events allow us to invite top schools to our events and then receive reciprocal invitations to their events.

In the fall, we look forward to returning to Chambers Bay and Vail as many members of our team had sub-par rounds at each event, includingSavannahdeBock winning at Vail,” Brewer added. “Of course, we are also excited to end the fall season in Hawaii,” at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, Oct. 20-22, in Lihue, Hawaii

Eastern will make return trips to tournaments it played during the 2024 fall slate, including the Leadership & Golf Invitational at Chambers Bay in University Park, Wash., Sept. 15-16, and the Golfweek Red Sky Classic, Sept. 22-24, at Red Sky Ranch in Wolcott, Colo. Competing in the Golfweek event will give junior deBock(Ecaussinnes-d’enghien, Belgium/Institutdel’Enfant-JésusLycée/Georgia) the change to defend her title won last year after she shot 12-under 204 to break the school record.

FromAlexRyan FromAlexRyan

COLLEGE CORNER

“In the spring, we will spend many days competing on the West Coast before returning home for the conference championship,” Brewer stated. “These trips will allow Janae Leovao and JasmineLeovao to return close to home to compete while also allowing us to experience traveling to the West Coast where the NCAA Championship is hosted. We look forward to the challenge of competing against many of the top teams all year.”

Eventually, the Eagles will turn their attention to the postseason as the MidAmerican Conference Championships await, April 26-28, at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. The team and individual champions will earn the

AngelicaHolman

conference’s automatic berths into the NCAA Regionals, which will take place May 11-13 at four sites. The top eight teams from each site will advance to the NCAA Championships, May 22-27, at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, Calif.

Season Preview: Ferris State

ByRobBentley ByRobBentley

The Ferris State University men ' s & women ' s golf teams have high aspirations again heading into the 2025-26 season under head coach and Bulldog alum Sam Stark. Last year, the Bulldog women’s golf team advanced to the NCAA D2 National Championships for the first time in 16 years and earned a runner-up finish at the GLIAC Championships.

The men’s team earned its 20th NCAA Tourney berth in the last 22 years, which ranks as one of the best stretches in the country. The Bulldog men also reached the GLIAC Tourney Semifinals and won the stroke play portion of the league championships. Both teams return a strong nucleus for this season and annually rank among the top programs in the country. Returning on the men ' s side are junior Kole Putnam and senior Sam Havey, who both garnered All-GLIAC honors a year ago for the Bulldogs.

The women ' s team will welcome back five all-conference honorees from last year including a first-team pick in senior Kamryn Shannon. Seniors Lizzie Anderson and Taylor Musselman also come back along with sophomores Ashley Thomasma and Kylie Walker from FSU's allleague list.

SamHavey

Kamryn Shannon

Season Preview: Michigan State Men COLLEGE CORNER

ByMichaelCarey ByMichaelCarey

Last year, MSU went into the season with a heavy load riding on a bunch of newcomers. Sure, one of the program’s all-time greats was returning as well, Ashton McCulloch, but that ended quickly when he was injured in the fall –leaving the Spartans to rely heavily on players yet to fully prove themselves. But prove themselves they did – which has Coach Casey Lubahn looking forward to this season.

Led by junior transfer Caleb Bond, who came to Michigan State from Division II Ferris State and is from nearby Williamston, the Spartans put together a tremendous 2025 spring that looks to carry over to this season. Bond won the 2025 Michigan Amateur in June, which qualified him for the recent U.S. Amateur, where he then made the sweet 16.

Bond and Lorenzo Pinili, who won the springtime Colleton River Collegiate with a 5under score, carried the team through much of

the spring – all adding up to the Spartans taking a third-place finish in the newlyexpanded Big Ten Conference, and returning to an NCAA Regional for the third-straight season.

And, oh yeah, the team will welcome McCulloch back into the lineup this fall. He was the team’s top finisher in three Fall events last year, carrying a 69.78 scoring average, before his injury stopped play. As a junior in 2023-24, McCulloch set a program record with a 70.89 season average, and enters this year with a career 71.59 average.

McCulloch, Bond, and Pinili were selected as Big Ten Confrence golfers to watch.

The depth added to the rotation during last season’s run to the NCAA Regionals will make competition for the scoring lineup challenging this season. Rising sophomores Drew Miller (East Lansing), Julian Menser (Detroit Catholic Central) and Juan Velasquez, and rising junior Lucas Acevedo were all key parts of the team’s run.

The Spartans also welcome transfer McKoy Biagioli (White Lake), who comes to MSU from Ferris State, after rooming with Bond. Biagioli, the 2024 Michigan Amateur Champion, helped lead the Bulldogs to an eighth-place finish at the Division II NCAA Regionals.

AshtonMcCullough

CalebBond

Season Preview: Michigan State Women

ByMichaelCarey ByMichaelCarey

When you graduate two of the best players in program history, there is bound to be the expectation that it could lower the expectations for the upcoming 2025-26 season. That’s not the case for Michigan State Head Women’s Golf Coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll and the program.

The Spartans made a run through the postseason, finishing second at the Big Ten tournament, placing third in the NCAA Regional and advancing to the NCAA Championships for the 15th time under Slobodnik-Stoll.

But Michigan State graduated 2025 All-American and All-Big Ten First Team selection Brooke Biermann, who reached the semifinals of the Women’s Western Amateur before in August finished runner up in the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bandon Dunes – and 2024 AllAmerican and All-Big Ten First Team selection Katie Lu, a duo who rank among the top-five all-time in scoring average in East Lansing.

Yet, the cupboard isn’t bare in East Lansing by any stretch, with three of the team’s top-five returning for the 2025-26 season, led by seniors Taylor Kehoe, Paula Balanzategui and Shannon Kennedy.

Kehoe, who transferred to MSU from Alabama last year, finished second on the team in scoring average at 72.43 and posted two top-5 finishes, including a tie for fifth place at the NCAA Norman (Okla.) Regional. She is coming off a spectacular summer, reaching the Quarterfinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur, the quarterfinals of the North/South Amateur and the Round of 16 in the Women’s Western Amateur.

Balanzategui, who has the most career rounds played at MSU of any returning player, was fourth on the team in scoring average last year at 74.25 and posted two top-10 finishes and three among the top-20.

Kennedy, the 2024 Michigan Amateur champ who played in the U.S. Women’s Amateur, appeared in only four tournaments last year (75.81 scoring average) but is returning for her final year of eligibility.

Rising junior Ana Sofia Murcia was one of just two players (Biermann) to appear in all 12 tournaments and play all 35 rounds last year.

COLLEGE CORNER

Season Preview: Michigan Men

ByTomWyrott ByTomWyrott

With the graduation of All-American Hunter Thomson of Canada, Yuqi Liu and Ben Hoagland the University of Michigan men ' s golf program and coach Zach Barlow will be looking to take those next steps heading into the 2025-26 season. With a 10-golfer roster made up entirely of underclassmen, the young Wolverines will rely on the experiences gained last season by sophomores Dean Muratore and RJ Arone.

Muratore, who played the USGA double-

double summer - U.S. Junior Amateur (Trinity Forest Golf Club) and U.S. Amateur (The Olympic Club), started 11 of 12 events in his UM rookie campaign, while averaging 73.06 per round with four top 15 individual finishes. Arone started all 12 of his events and posted a 73.40 average, with three top-15 finishes. The Wolverines will also look to sophomores Nicolas Simon (four events), Johnny Solis (three events),

and redshirt-sophomore Caden Pinckes (seven events, three starts) to compete for starting spots this season. "It’s going to be very competitive this year, not only in tournaments but with our qualifying,” Barlow said. “As a coach, you love this because it makes everyone better. Matt (Hoffman) and I are excited to coach this team. They are young in standing;

however, we feel we have found a great balance of talent. They’re all eager to get after

it and continue in our pursuit to build something special here."

Additionally, Barlow welcomed four newcomers, including the signing of 2025 NCAA Division III All-American Nilay Naik, who played his freshman season at Pomona Pitzer in Claremont, Calif. During the November signing period, U-M signed Jordan Hwang, Jack Harrington, and Tristan Wieland, who are all expected to battle for starting spots.

The Wolverines have a balanced regular season with five fall and five spring events. Opening with return trips to the Island Resort Intercollegiate (Aug. 31-Sept. 1) and Canadian Collegiate (Sept. 14-16), Barlow's squad highlights the fall playing in the inaugural Jim DeLapa Collegiate (Sept. 28-29) at Benton Harbor's famed Point O’ Woods Golf and Country Club.

DeanMuratore

RJArone

MaraJaness

Season Preview: Michigan Women

ByTomWyrott ByTomWyrott

It was a season of transition during head coach Jan Dowling's 2024-25 campaign. Now, in her 13 season, her 2024-25 University of Michigan women ' s golf team is poised to use its balance to regain its footing not only in the Big Ten – but nationally. th

Without a senior on the roster last season, Michigan will be anchored by a trio of seniors -- Mara Janess, Lauren, and Sydney Sung. Janess, who earned an individual invitation to the NCAA Columbus Regional, led U-M, starting all 11 of her events, posting a career-low 73.94 average and recording seven top-20 individual finishes, with three top 10, including her career-best of tying for third at the Spartan Suncoast Collegiate Invitational.

Lauren Sung closed with a career-low 74.00 avg. while recording six top-20

finishes. Twin sister, Sydney, started eight of nine tournaments and carried a career-low average of 75.04. Adding to U-M's veteran presence will be junior Grace Wang of metro Detroit, who started seven of eight events a season ago, and sophomore Mimi Guo.

"We are excited about the makeup of our team,” Dowling said. “Our three seniors -- Mara (Janess), Lauren (Sung), and Sydney (Sung) have an incredible degree of ownership in our culture, and they have become great

leaders both on and off the course. Adding three talented international freshmen to an already highcaliber roster, we are confident they will have an immediate impact on our program. Our group remains steadfast in its intentions to be not only great golfers, but great teammates."

The additions of three international newcomers -Reese Ng (Philippines), Vanessa Zhang (Beijing, China), and Jaymie Ng (Singapore) -- help give the Wolverines the opportunity for Dowling to start a strong starting five throughout the season.

The Wolverines open their nine-event regular season hosting the Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 7-8) at the U-M Golf Course. The event serves as a preview for the spring as Dowling's Wolverines will host one of six NCAA regional sites for the second time in the last four years.

SydneySung

COLLEGE CORNER

Season Preview: Central Michigan

ByAndrewSneddon ByAndrewSneddon

The Central Michigan golf programs look ahead to the 2025-26 season with high hopes and to the long-term future after the university unveiled plans for a yearround on-campus golf facility.

The 40-acre facility will be located on the south end of the Mount Pleasant campus, adjacent to Theunissen Stadium, home to CMU baseball. Plans for the state-ofthe-art facility include a putting/short-game practice area, multiple hitting bays, simulators, locker rooms and fitness area.

“We are sure this facility will be among the best in the Mid-American Conference,” CMU Vice President/Director of Athletics Amy Folan said. “This project will ensure that our golf programs have practice facilities that will significantly enhance our studentathlete experience and recruitment efforts.”

The Chippewa men’s program continues its resurgence under coach Kevin Jennings, who in 2022-23 resurrected the program after a three-decade-plus hiatus.

In the fourth year since the program’s restart, the Chippewa roster is loaded with veterans who have been with the program from the outset, among them Royal Oak Shrine grad Jeffrey Andrus along with Philippe Yturralde and Easton Phillips.

Phillips led the Chippewas in 2024-25 with a 76.91 scoring average, while Yturralde’s 74.50 career average is the best among the eight players on the roster.

The Chippewas’ once again face an ambitious schedule and will serve as the host for four events, beginning with the inaugural Jim DeLapa Collegiate Invitational at storied Point O’ Woods Country Club in Benton Harbor in late September.

The CMU women return nearly all of their contributors from last season, including sophomore Ella Zanatta, who made an immediate impact by tying for first in her first collegiate tournament, the A-Ga-Ming Invitational. She later earned medalist honors at the Bowling Green Dolores Black Invitational. She was CMU’s top finisher in five of its 10 stroke-play tournaments and averaged a team-best 76.04 to earn All-Mid-American Conference Second Team honors.

Zanatta leads a roster of veterans, several of whom are Michigan natives, including mainstays Rachel Niskanen (Negaunee), Lauren Davis (Coopersville) and Brooke Morris (Canton).

EastonPhillips

EllaZanatta

Season Preview: Grand Valley State University

ByLoganTaylor ByLoganTaylor

The Grand Valley State men’s and women’s golf teams head into the 2025-26 campaign high expectations, as both teams made the postseason last season, and they look to build upon that for the coming season.

The Laker women are coming off a great season, winning their second straight GLIAC Championship, as well as capturing their first East Regional title since 2014. They advanced to the National Championships for the ninth straight season, where they finished ninth. GVSU won three additional tournaments throughout the season and had four runner-up placements.

Four lineup mainstays graduated this past spring, but there is still plenty of talent in Allendale for head coach GLIAC Coach of the Year Rebecca Mailloux. GLIAC Freshman of the Year and WGCA All-Region selection Charlotte Goersch is back for her sophomore campaign, along with First-Team All-GLIAC selection Rachael Krieger. Also returning are Lea Stotz and Evelyn Park, who both claimed multiple top 10 finishes last season. Coming into the fold are freshmen June Hsiao, Heida Rafnsdottir, and Skyler Tierney.

Onthemen’sside, Midwest Region Coach of the Year Garreth Lappin has three AllGLIAC golfers coming back this season. First-teamers and GCAA All-Region selections Manuel Cue and Bryce Wheeler and GLIAC second-teamer Charlie Cooley are all back for their senior seasons in Allendale. On

top of that, Murphy Kehoe and Ryan Gallagher return, both of whom were in the lineup for multiple tournaments.

GVSU won three events last season, and played in the postseason, finishing ninth at regionals. The Lakers will have four incoming freshman this fall, with Finley Dober, Ian Masih, Emil Olofsson, and Leandro Pinili all joining the fold. Those four, along with Stetson transfer Maverick Conaway, make up the Lakers five-person recruiting class.

The Laker men begin their season on September 8th at the Folds of Honor Challenge at American Dunes Golf Course in Grand Haven. The women start a week later, hosting the Folds of Honor Challenge at the Meadows Golf Course in Allendale.

COLLEGE CORNER

Season Preview: University of Detroit-Mercy

Sokolowski concluded season second on the team with a 74.29 average, the 16th best in school history, and also carded scores in the 70's and 60's in all 24 rounds, including three at par or better, while Nalluri tied for third on the team with a 74.67 average and posted scores in the 70's in 23 of his 24 rounds, with two at par or better.

The women will have a nice blend of veterans and youth for the 2025-26 campaign and will get a major lift back with the return of graduate senior Ariel Chang – who redshirted last year. Back is also a pair of seniors in Kyla Charlebois and Taylor Kondel as well as junior Gabriella Tapp.

Chang is a two-time All-Horizon League selection, just the ninth Titan in school history to earn two All-Horizon League honors, as she enters the year with a 75.80 career average in 46 rounds. In 2023-24, she led the Titans in seven of the eight tournaments and posted four top-10 efforts. That was after a sophomore year that saw her set a school record with a 76.05 average.

Kondel was the only Titan to start all nine tournaments and play all 22 rounds last year, finishing second on the team with a career-low 80.41 average as she led the team in five events as

ByP.J.Gradowski

The Titans men’s golf program brings back eight letterwinners and four starters from a young squad that recorded one of their best averages in school history last year when the Titans posted a 296.1, the best mark since UDM tallied a 292.5 in 2007-08. They are led by a junior trio that started every match last year in David Swab, Mason Sokolowski and Gowtham Nalluri. Swab led the team with a 73.71 average, ninth in school history, and tallied scores in the 70's and 60's in 23 of his 24 rounds, leading UDM in three events and sharing a regular season tournament win.

DavidSwab

Season Preview: Oakland Men and Women

ByHeatherFortushniak ByHeatherFortushniak

The Women's program is coming in hot after backto-back Horizon League Championship titles in 2024 & 2025, plus two straight NCAA regional appearances. With a line up full of returning talent, they've got their sights set even higher this year.

The Fall schedule brings some great challenges like at the Wolverine (hosted by University of Michigan) and Powercat (hosted by Kansas State University) Invitationals. They will hit the road again in the spring with trips to Arizona and South Carolina. The team will be going for the three-peat in the Horizon league Championship in April 2026.

The team will be looking to Olivia Hemmila, Lily Bargamian and Grace Boczar to lead on and off the golf course. With four strong returners and three new additions to the team it will be exciting to see the success of the team this year.

On the men ' s side, there's a new face leading the charge: Robby Pickett steps in as head coach after the team put together a solid 2024-25 season. Highlighted by top 5 finishes at the Golden Grizzlies Invitational (2 ), Carolina Cup (2nd) and atop the leaderboard at

the Tom Tontimonia Invitational. Plus, a 5th place finish at the 2025 Horizon League Championships. With momentum building they are excited to start the year off at home with the Golden Grizzlies Intercollegiate on September 13th & 14th. With newcomer Rakshit Dahiya (from India) having just been announced to represent his home country in the World Amateur Team Championship in Singapore in October and returners Jack Zubkus, Matteo Rocco, Brennan Sullivan, and Robert Burns all having a strong summer season – the Golden Grizzlies are hoping to make some noise and reclaim the Horizon League Championship. Both squads benefit with their home course set up of two championship-level courses on campus – Katke-Cousins and Sharf. It is a serious training advantage and both teams are making the most of it!