MI Golf Journal April 22

EDITOR'S LETTER

Welcome to Spring As shown on the previous page, the Michigan Golf Journal continues to evolve and test some changes here in the early months of Year Five of publication. We hope you like the adjustments, including the biggest visual brand transformation with a new logo that better captures our state pride for the game of golf.

Please make sure you view the entire April magazine as we have a special 10-page section devoted to the heroes behind the scenes fighting the Oakland Hills clubhouse fire. Contributing writer Janina Jacobs earned special access to firefighters that has not been given to any other media to date – so don’t miss her inside perspective, including more about the men who saved so much of the historical golf memorabilia.

We also look deeper into the first PGA Tour win for Michigander Ryan Brehm and the preparations U.S. Amateur Champion James Piot is making for his appearance at Augusta National and starting a professional career soon after.

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What's Inside:

Masters Advance, Pg. 10

SPECIAL SECTION, Pgs. 32-40

These great stories and so much more – including the love for golf

by MSU football punter Bryce Baringer. Please enjoy; and thank you for coming along for the drive.

Tom Lang Editor and Publisher PGA Tour Champ, Pg. 22

GOLF Q AND A: MSU FOOTBALL

Q and A with MSU Football Punter Bryce Baringer With Tom Lang Bryce Baringer finds himself in the spotlight every Saturday during the college football season. Unfortunately, he’s called upon when the Spartans’ offense stalls, but as the team’s punter he becomes a valuable weapon when leading the Big Ten in yards averaged. In fact, in 2021, he had the second highest average of all time (48.4) in the league.

Baringer also was a very solid high school golfer at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and still carries a plus-one handicap. He is also the roommate at MSU with golf team sensation James Piot, the

reigning U.S. Amateur Champion who will turn pro after the college season ends.

Baringer is on track to also turn professional, playing on Sundays in the NFL.

Q: Do you see similarities of skills,

preparation, between the sports of golf and football, even punting in particular?

A: “I do. Other positions maybe not so

much. But with being a punter, sometimes I am trying to kick a certain ball. Just like golf, if I’m trying to hit a certain shot, there is some finesse if I’m trying to pin an opponent inside the 5-yard line. It’s not different than if you

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GOLF Q AND A: MSU FOOTBALL have a delicate chip shot where you’re trying to land it. And there’s a lot of similar mentality.

You go through your little check list in your head, before you hit the shot. The swings are similar too. When you’re playing golf, you’re not trying to swing out of your shoes and hit it 100 percent every time. And it’s the same with kicking a football.”

Q: Have you ever thought about

challenging Coach Tucker to golf?

A: “No, I have not. I do think I

could give him a run for his money though. I think I could probably take him if I had to. He knows I can play. Lots of the coaches do know. Coach Tucker loves the game of golf. Something happened to one of his club shafts, one of them broke and he came up to me the next day and asked where he could get a new shaft.”

Q: How did the roommate

A: Q: So, going back to your high school days

about ?

do you remember any times you got the best of James?

A: We’ve been friends for 8

A: “Never, I don’t think I ever did. I was the

situation with James Piot come

years now. I played high school golf at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and he was of course at Detroit Catholic Central so being in the same league we played against each other since freshman year.

Ran into him the first year here at MSU and we stayed in contact and now we’re roommates.”

No. 2 man on our team and so I was usually grouped with Ben Smith (DCC’s No. 2)

primarily, James’ teammate at Catholic Central. Ben’s now at Georgia Tech playing golf and he won the Michigan Amateur a couple years ago. But high school tournaments are some of the longest events I’ve ever been a part of Continues on pg. 8 >>

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GOLF Q AND A: MSU FOOTBALL so when tee boxes got backed up, we’d talk (he and James) and got to know each other.”

Q: When you and James talk about sports,

how much is about golf and how much is about football?

A: “When we’re just hanging out in the

apartment, a lot of times it is about golf or about football, but not necessarily about us. We’ll talk about the golf tournament the weekend before on the PGA Tour, and talk about NFL games, but a lot of the times we’re just hanging out and having a good time.”

Q: Has James ever asked you for golf advice?

A: “NO. I’m the one asking him. We do talk about the mental approach sometimes because like I said (the two sports) are pretty similar, being a football specialist and a golfer. And growing up golfing I relate a lot of what I do to golf. So, he will ask me about the mental side, but not how he’s hitting it, club path, swing path, angles. All that kind of stuff; he’s the scientist.”

Q: Do you have any golf superstitions?

A: “I always have my tees and ball markers in my right pocket. I prefer to drive the golf court, rather than riding around. I always mark my ball with a red dot, every time, and when I putt, I always place it the same way, with the logo up and I can read it; Titleist.”

Q: What was your reaction at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep high school to have PGA Tour pro Tom Gillis come in and be the coach for one season?

A: “At the time he came in he had just

recently been in a playoff with Jordan Spieth, so it was really cool he took the job. He’s a young-minded guy. He’d come out in dress shoes or just some random Kicks and flop balls in bunkers, plug them, whatever, and he’d hit balls to 2-feet, 3-feet like it’s really easy.

“It was very cool to be able to learn from him.

It’s not every day you get a high school coach who has played on the PGA Tour, so to hear his experiences, some of the stories. And then this winter James texted me a picture of him, Coach Lubahn, Coach Gillis and Rickie (Fowler). That was funny. Coach Gillis will still send me messages, we’ll talk sometimes.

He likes the little jabs because he’s a U-M fan, but he’s always talking about how he’s proud to see where I’ve come. He’s a great guy.”

Have you seen our new logo?

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MASTERS WEEK AND TURNING PRO

A Master(s) Plan for James Piot Augusta National first, turning pro soon afterwards

By Tom Lang Many kids complain to their parents about taking math classes, often asking in that very annoying tone why they’ll need to ‘know this stuff’ when they’re an adult.

James Piot can say he’s glad he paid attention in math (and based on his GPA lots of other classes too), after playing a practice round at Augusta National for the first time this winter. The Canton native and defending U.S. Amateur Champion is competing in The Masters this week via his monstrous USGA title won last

flat golf course,” Piot told me recently, mirroring comments I have heard from many others about Augusta for years, yet have seen for myself aren’t true.

“But you get out there and, on every iron shot there you’re adding and subtracting yardages.

It’s got a lot of slope and I did not expect that, and that’s one of the really big challenges out there; getting your numbers right on your irons, so there’s a lot to think about. It’s a math contest out there.”

August, making him eligible for the springtime experience of any golfer’s lifetime.

Piot may have more conversion math to do based on his first PGA Tour experience when

“When you watch it on TV you don’t see any of the elevation changes, I thought it was a pretty

Bay Hill.

he was invited to play as an amateur in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in early March at

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“The golf ball was flying way farther than I’d ever hit in my life,” he said. “I was hitting irons 15-20 yards farther (than average). The greens were concrete. For me it was a really unique experience because it was adjusting to conditions I’d almost never played in before. I’ve played in events before where the nerves are going but nothing quite like a Tour event, so it kind of exposed some things, but it didn’t discourage me. It actually made me feel pretty good about where my game’s at despite the score.” (He missed the cut.)

That knowledge will be very helpful once Piot turns pro full time. He’s also been invited to play in the RBC Heritage on Hilton Head Island the week after The Masters, where he will still be an amateur seeking more Tour experience. But once the college season is completed – ideally with he and his MSU teammates at the NCAA Nationals – Piot will turn pro and play in Jack Nicklaus’ The Memorial in Dublin, Ohio.

Piot will seek sponsor exemptions all summer long from that point forward, and as a ‘local boy’

we’re all pulling for the Rocket Mortgage Classic in late July to extend one such exemption.

“The U.S. Open I can play as a pro and everything else will be if I can get some sponsor’s exemptions,” Piot said. “Hopefully that all works out to get a pretty full schedule this year.”

Speaking of college ties, Piot utilized MSU assistant head coach Dan Ellis as his caddy in the U.S. Amateur and had planned every day since to have Ellis on the bag at Augusta National. Their chemistry is magic.

That plan will materialize, but only because Piot wrote a plea letter to James Piot embraces caddy, Dan Ellis

the NCAA Continues on pg.13 >>

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to overturn a rule that stated Piot would have to

“So many people were telling me I need to

give up two college tournaments this spring if Ellis was on his bag because it would count toward having a college coach helping at a tournament.

take an Augusta caddy and even though they know the course like the back of their hand, I want someone I can trust and someone who got me there. So, Coach Ellis is the No. 1 guy I wanted on the bag and we’re very happy the

“I had to think about do I take someone who got me there (U.S. Amateur win and a Masters

rule got over-turned.”

invite) and skip two college events, or decide to play all my college season by having a different caddy at Augusta,” Piot said. “Absolutely it’s a big mental lift for me. Coach Ellis is phenomenal at knowing golf courses, and on top of that just having someone I trust and comfortable with, and he’s good at keeping me loose and keeping it light, so having him on the bag was everything to me.

Photo: Piot meets two legends at Ally Challenge

Ellis said he has been a caddy at least once on every Tour except PGA Champions. The short term plan is for the partnership to continue throughout the summer then find Piot a new looper.

“We obviously had something good going at Oakmont,” Ellis said about the U.S. Amateur.

“He trusts me and he’s certainly a fun horse to take around the track because he hits it right Continues on pg. 15 >>

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where he’s looking all day.”

That perspective fits Piot’s game really well right now. He said Augusta National has many areas that ‘fit his eye’ while acknowledging other parts do not.

“It’s a ball-strikers course,” he said after practicing at Augusta. “Obviously, you have to manage it well, and putt well. But you have to put it in the right spots and that’s what I think I was doing well. I hit it straight off the tee and hit good iron shots. For me it does fit my game. Yet obviously you’re never fully comfortable at Augusta National, because you’re always one bad swing away from a double bogey. It’s one of those places where more experience matters.

“The par 5s are gettable, so that makes me really comfortable, knowing you have birdie holes there. There’s some really good par 4s out there.

No. 1 is not easy. When I watch it on TV I’d think ‘How come guys bogey this hole? It doesn’t seem too bad.’ Then you get up on the tee box and realize, ‘whoa, there’s no room to hit your driver, and it’s a long hole.’”

The fact Piot grew up in a non-country club environment drives him even more to

office Day One and he asked what my goals are, and I said All-American. And he said, ‘how about we start with All-Big Ten,’ and I said coach that’s not me. It’s just part of what drives me.

“I still get buddies texting me from my childhood about how crazy it is. They are working the real 9-5 jobs and I’m playing in The Masters and it’s like, what happened?”

experience success at Augusta, and eventually as a pro.

Winning the biggest amateur tournament in the world happened, and now it’s Piot’s turn to reap the benefits.

“I still see myself as that kid who grew up on the public courses, playing with my buddies,” he said. “I describe my childhood like ‘The

“Stepping on property was really cool for my experience so far,” Piot said of Augusta National. “Everyone working in the pro shop

Sandlot.’

“It put a little chip on my shoulder and it’s kind of always who I’ve been. Part of why I came to MSU is you’re unique as a Spartan; and it feels like everyone’s got that grit. I still remember freshman year walking into Coach Lubahn’s

or the dining room, everywhere, greeted me as Mr. Piot. They all knew my name and who I was. To know my name is enough already, but to call me Mr. Piot? I thought, hold on a second, I’m a college kid.”

But not for much longer James.

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COVER STORY, SHANTY CREEK

Shanty Creek Resort a Great ReVisit After Too Many Years Away

By Tom Lang I had to smack myself on the forehead last summer, similar to what my wife does when exasperated with me, wondering why it took me so many years to return last summer to the site of some absolutely wonderful golf options in Northern Michigan.

Palmer (The Legend) generally grab the most attention – but the original Summit and Schuss courses have excellent features that round out the group of courses that provide a full range of prices, challenges, beauty, and varying golf experiences – all in one location.

THE LEGEND:

That site is Shanty Creek Resort near beautiful Bellaire.

If you’re a golfer who loves dramatic views from elevated tees with downhill fairways

By purchasing the neighboring Hawk’s Eye in 2021, Shanty Creek expanded its portfolio to five

while playing golf, you will love the first hole of Arnold Palmer’s The Legend at Shanty Creek.

18-hole courses (90 holes), making it one of the nation’s largest gathering of courses at one resort; in this case some on the same land but all no further than a 4-mile driving distance of each other – with free shuttles connecting them.

The two courses developed by famous designers in Tom Weiskopf (Cedar River) and Arnold

Uh-oh, perhaps I spoke too soon.

You’ll also love holes 5, 6, 10, 13 and 15. Heck, you’ll likely love all the holes. I did.

But back to the starting hole. The downhill slopping par 5 gets any round going in the

WWW.MIGOLFJOURNAL.COM right direction, and acts as a precursor to the type of course ahead of you. The 2nd hole is dramatically uphill to the fairway landing zone ‘shelf’ off the tee – yet golfers will not see another uphill trek until climbing uphill to the 13th green from the valley below – then again at the mildly sloping uphill 18th hole.

The late Arnold Palmer’s routing (from 1986) is masterful in how he picked highly elevated areas for many tee boxes so that the course feels like it’s all downhill – or at least level – which causes problems picking a favorite photo, too. Palmer’s goal of beautiful distractions and getting more roll out of your tee shots becomes balanced on the scorecard with many tough putting surfaces that can even make two-putting a challenge.

Many golf courses across Michigan have 1-2 dramatic features in their designs. This course has 1-2 dozen, including the approach to the 7th green. No. 7 is a shorter par 5, but it’s the No. 1 handicap hole.

The fairway is flat, but off the tee you are forced to decide on laying

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the slightly-elevated putting surface.

In this region of the course, it can get a little noisy for a few holes – well, that is if you are bothered by the sound of water with its babbling brooks and are distracted by thinking there is some river rafting adventure nearby.

HAWKS EYE: When Shanty Creek Resort added the local Hawk’s Eye Golf Course to its portfolio – joining The Summit, The Legend, Cedar River and Schuss Mountain – it also created options to optimize all course conditions. Now with five courses, each one can be shut down twice per week on a revolving basis while still leaving enough tee times to serve the golfers on the other four.

Continues on pg.19 >>

up before the first creek or try blowing over it.

Yes, the first creek, because the second one crosses the entire front of the green, a green that is very wide but not very deep and is trimmed across the front with a rock wall below

Hawks Eye No.8

WWW.MIGOLFJOURNAL.COM By doing this rotation, and leaving all five courses open Friday through Sunday, management has been able to reinforce its approach to optimal course conditions on all five layouts. Closing each course two days every week reduces wear and tear on

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Hawk’s Eye is a top-notch course situated on similar rolling terrain style property.

Beautiful water features highlight the first three holes, without any forced carries. Oops, spoke too soon again, because Hole 4 has a forced carry off the tee boxes. A total of nine

the grasses and allows the grounds crew to tackle larger, non-daily maintenance projects without impeding golfers.

holes have water to contend with, but the only forced carries are 4 and 11, the latter a medium-length par 3 to an elevated green.

With this philosophy, the playing conditions I had in mid-July 2021 were at a premium on all of them, and that is hard to say since golf courses nationwide have been inundated with new players during the Covid-19 rush to play outdoors.

My favorite stretch of combined holes are 1-3 for their simplistic beauty, but that doesn’t mean the remainder of the course doesn’t measure up; it certainly does. In fact, the last two holes are as good of closing holes as any could be. The 17th is a long par 5 with a fairway that cascades downhill in stair-steplike fashion to a huge green that’s guarded on

This course management viewpoint is what gives Shanty Creek a great reputation for quality, by subtracting some traffic.

Hawks Eye No.2 and 3

Continues on next pg. >>

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COVER STORY, SHANTY CREEK

the right half by water. Then 18 goes a little uphill with a slight right-hand turn to the green 80-to-100 feet or so below the grand Northwoods style clubhouse perched on a cliff high above.

Due to the rolling terrain, the course has at least a half-dozen holes with blind shots, either off the tee or on the second shot of par 5s. Overall, Hawk’s Eye has a very private and natural feel to the property, with very little housing along the way. The only place golfers really see other golfers is the intersection of the 10th green, the 11th hole and the 18th tee.

CEDAR RIVER: Weiskopf added his gem in 1999, on a piece of land not as hilly as The Legend but still with enough dramatic rolling features it will maintain any golfers interest all 18 holes.

Speaking of which, the 18th is very striking and Cedar River

one of my favorites. It’s a long par 5 that stays level for the most part, but then drops off dramatically the last 150 yards to a large green guarded on the right half with water, one of only three ponds on the entire layout.

The 14th hole could be one of the toughest par 3s in northern Michigan. It’s all drop off from tee to green; golfers must land the tee shot on the green as there is no fairway fronting the hole, but rather, deep bunkers going down the hill and deep woods right at the back edge of the bean-shaped green. The tee shot also must go between trees to reach the dance floor.

Otherwise, Cedar River has really wide fairways and most are shaped with mounding along the way that can kick off-line shots back toward the fairway. The greens have much less undulation than the two courses described above.

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Both of these two courses offer free golf any day to any player aged 17-and-under when with a paying adult. Cedar River offers the same on Sundays after 2:00 p.m.

THE EXTRAS:

Schuss Mountain

THE ORIGINALS: Shanty Creek’s two golf options dating back to the 1960s and ‘70s include The Summit Course, and the 18-hole layout at the base of Schuss Mountain. The Summit is a slightly shorter test that’s great for any buddies’ group but also has something for the whole family. Most holes are tree-lined but with mown grass under most of them, not denser foliage like the other courses.

There are also forward tees set up to play the entire Summit design as a par 3 course; providing that unique playing option for anyone, and a great place to get beginners started.

At Schuss, the front nine is flat and very walkable, and a good ‘tune up’ for the back nine, which in many respects plays like the major elevation changes found at The Legend, Cedar River and Hawk’s Eye. Rarely can golfers find front and back 9s so distinctly different from each other on the same property. Hole 12 is my favorite, visually, with a huge, slopping valley to navigate on the way to the highly perched green complex.

There is no shortage of nongolf activities at Shanty Creek and the region for the vacationers with you who don’t play our great game.

Indoor and outdoor pools, hiking, biking and more. You name an outdoor sport or activity, and the beautiful Bellaire area delivers.

Overnight onsite options at Shanty Creek feature the Lakeview Hotel, which honors its name with wonderful views of Lake Bellaire, but a wide variety of choices expand with private area rentals, condos on site and hotels in town.

Find more information at: https://www.shantycreek.com/ or https://puremi.ch/3wU8ADN The Summit No.13

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MICHIGAN MAN ON TOUR

Michigander Ryan Brehm Returns to Michigan with First PGA Tour Trophy Won Puerto Rico Open with wife Chelsey carrying the bag him, ‘man, you are so good’ probably gave him a little comfort.”

By Tom Lang “His good is as good as anyone.” – MSU Coach Casey Lubahn on Ryan Brehm.

If earning his first win on the PGA Tour – the Puerto Rico Open – and landing a full-time exemption for the next two-and-a-half years because of it measures up as ‘good’ in Ryan Brehm’s world – then yes, he’s as good as any pro golfer.

But that’s not MSU Coach Lubahn just playing cheerleader. Lubahn told me recently that they were playing together in a high-end member/guest event in Florida in December, and Brehm was approached by a winner and regular participant on the PGA Tour.

“Basically he told Ryan, ‘kid, you are so good, it’s scary,’ and I think that mattered. A peer telling

Brehm’s ‘good’ in early March meant winning the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open, the same event that launched Viktor Hovland’s young career with a win two years ago – but with Brehm’s unique combination of having his wife, Chelsey, as a caddy that week. They are the last husbandwife team to do so since Patrick Reed and his wife, Justine, pulled off the feat nine years ago.

“I agree it did make for a great story, me and my wife out there walking and hitting golf shots,” Brehm said during a phone interview as the couple was ready to board the airplane from San Juan to Jacksonville, Fla. to participate in his first-ever THE PLAYERS Championship. “You just don’t see that very often in pro golf. We just talked a lot about really zoning in on the process and trying to fine tune that.

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“Starting out the year on the Korn Ferry Tour (having played in four 2022 events) really

“Ryan’s decided he was just going to get better, being Ryan Brehm, not being

prepared us for this moment,” he continued.

“We just try to keep improving, every time, every week, every day – and each week it got a little bit better and a little better and then it culminated where everything just was working together.”

somebody else. Every time we talked about his golf swing, he’d compare it to some other Tour player. I haven’t heard him say that in several months now. He’s all about how Ryan Brehm needs to get better, not how Ryan Brehm needs to be more like this guy or that guy.”

Getting a little better every day has been Brehm’s more-defined goal the past 7-8 months, to which Lubahn agreed has led him to this sofar career peak.

“Ryan said something very profound this off season when I was kind of nagging him to get back to work,” Lubahn commented. “He said, ‘all the bad breaks, whatever has happened to me, I’ve had three years on Tour and I haven’t done it. I’m obviously not good enough, so I just need to get better.’

“And that’s a tough realization for somebody who’s been the best at every level he’s ever been at. That frees you up to get better, as opposed to (thinking about) the things that have gone wrong over the years,” Lubahn said.

“He was the best all his life (referring to Junior golf, three high school state titles and an MSUrecord five college wins), then you get to this level and it’s a whole another thing.

Brehm is already darn good. Last year on a 21event PGA Tour schedule, he was 7th in club head speed and ranked 11th in driving distance. His tall 6-foot-4 frame lends to hitting it far.

Brehm, who turns 36 years during Masters week, is a 3-time Michigan Open winner who set many golf records at Michigan State (200408) and was the last amateur to make a cut at the Buick Open, during his MSU days.

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MICHIGAN MAN ON TOUR

He won the recent PGA Tour tournament on the tropical island by six strokes at 20-under par. He made only one bogey all week and fired 5-under par when all was on the line during the final round, including birdies on holes 9, 10 and 11 to run away from the pack chasing him.

His life struggles have included losing his mom, Debbie, to cancer last year, and less-than stellar play he’d been hoping for on the PGA Tour after previously collecting two Korn Ferry Tour career wins. But after losing his partial-status PGA Tour card in August from the past two seasons, he and Chelsey seemed to settle into the fact that the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour, his first-ever full time Tour status on any level, was going to make life more even keel and maybe provide ongoing stability with schedules and other factors of life on golf’s rocky road.

That schedule has changed dramatically between now and August of 2024, and has become a lot more stable with full-time status shifted one level higher than the feeder tour.

And by the end of ‘24, he will have totaled five years on the PGA Tour, earning rights to the players’ pension fund, with bigger endorsements and larger tournament checks along the way.

“Our lives changed (with the Puerto Rico title) but they didn’t at the same time,” Chelsey said. “It’s amazing to be a PGA Tour winner; that’s what we do. But at the same time, we’re Chelsey and Ryan Brehm and we still have our family, and our lives and it is what it is.”

Ryan added: “But life-changing things are like what’s happening in Ukraine right now, or losing loved ones. Those are the real-life

hanging things. Golf is what we do, this is our profession, and we kind of take that mindset with us.”

Chelsey won’t make a habit of loping for Ryan. She’s normally planning things 90 days out arranging for rental cars, hotels, flights and other duties.

“There’s a lot of things that go into a week (on Tour) and I think that’s the way I can support Ryan the most in getting our next win over the next couple years with the exemptions and making the most of it,” she said, quickly pointing out that caddying as a couple is not for everybody.

“We have a lot of guys (on Tour) that think it’s awesome, and a lot of guys are like, ‘nope, no chance in hell would I do that,’” Chelsey giggled. “But it worked for us, and I thought it was very cool.”

But what will be her caddy cut of the winnings?

“It’s called joint checking.”

NEW EQUIPMENT TESTING

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Callaway Rouge ST Irons

By Jacob Coudret, Club Fitter Miles of Golf Callaway has always produced high performance irons and 2022 continues the tradition with the introduction of the Rogue ST iron line up. This year Callaway is going all out on speed and forgiveness without sacrificing playability. The new Rogue ST Iron line features four different models: Rogue ST Max, Rogue ST Max OS, Rogue ST Max OS Lite, and the Rogue ST Pro, all built to fit a wide variety of golfers.

New technology for 2022 includes: More Ball Speed from the all-new High Strength 450 A.I. Designed Flash Face Cup An industry-first, they combined high strength 450 steel with A.I. designed Flash Face Cup. This delivers more ball speed and better ball speed consistency.

New A.I. Face Optimization for Speed, Launch and Spin New A.I. Face Optimization is now applied to all the new Rogue ST iron models. It’s unique for each model and loft to create spin rate

Patented Urethane Microspheres for Pure Feel Their patented urethane microspheres are now pushed further up the face in Rogue ST irons (up to the sixth groove) to enhance sound and deliver pure feel while maintaining fast ball speeds.

Now let’s take a deeper dive into each of the irons: Click here to go to a full listing of charts and details at the Miles of Golf website, where we tested the Rogue ST Max Irons, the Rogue ST Max OS Irons, the Rogue ST Max OS Lite Irons and the Rogue ST Pro irons. In each test, standard 7-iron specs were used to measure ball speed, smash factor, launch angle, spin rate, carry yardage, total yardage, launch direction and height.

consistency across the face. It creates high launch and COR plus a more controlled landing

My Takeaway Callaway does it again. Bringing to the table some pretty incredible irons. With these four irons golfers of all skills and handicaps will be

angle to help hold greens.

able to find what they are looking for.

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NEW EQUIPMENT TESTING

Callaway Rouge ST Driver

By Patrick Aretha, Club Fitter Miles of Golf The new Rogue ST family represents Callaway’s next step in their quest to create the fastest, most stable drivers and fairways possible.

At the beginning of this evolution, Callaway created “Jailbreak” technology utilizing vertical bars behind the face to keep the crown and the sole of the driver head from being pushed away from each other, thus retaining more energy in the face of the club. Next, A.I. technology was applied in 2021 with the newly designed Epic series. This made each club uniquely designed to optimize overall performance.

Year after year, Callaway has continued to further innovate with consumers in mind, and the new Rogue ST lineup is as complete as ever, 2022 models including the Triple Diamond LS (Low-Spin), Max, Max LS and a draw-biased Max head. The fairways include Max, a new LS model and a draw-biased version as well.

Callaway continues the use of their OptiFit hosel, giving players and club fitters the ability to change loft (-1*, +1* & +2*) and also to adjust lie angle (“D” for draw) for fewer misses to the right. As a fitter, this allows us to optimize the club’s launch conditions for each golfer individually.

Jailbreak A.I. Speed Frame – Previous Jailbreak architectures stiffened the body in the vertical direction. By applying Artificial Intelligence, this new structure is designed to enhance horizontal and torsional stability to promote an increase in ball speeds across the face Speed Tuned A.I. Face – Specifically engineered to optimize the Jailbreak Speed Frame, promoting fast speeds across a more expansive area. Each face and each head geometry are uniquely enhanced in Rogue ST *NEW* Tungsten Speed Cartridge – Increases speed on off-center hits. It also adds stability at impact and enhances MOI *NEW* Unibody Construction – The Triaxial Carbon crown and sole allow for weight savings that could be moved to the bottom of the club for a lower, deeper center of gravity promoting low spin and high launch characteristics. Additionally, this one-piece design increases stability, saves even more weight, and adds forgiveness Click Here to read more of this blog, which covers four different styles of driver in this Callaway lineup.

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COLLEGE CORNER earned a late add to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

"Ashley continues her run of great golf and I'm so happy for her,” said U-M assistant coach A.J. Newell, who is filling in for head coach Jan Dowling while she’s on

Michigan Golf Teams Great Start to Spring Schedule

By Tom Lang The University of Michigan Women’s and Men’s golf teams have had a solid early spring season, to put it mildly.

The women have notched a team win and two second places (Tulane Classic and College of Charleston Invitational) by the leadership of senior Ashley Lau winning two of the events as medalist/co-medalist, while the men won the Desert Mountain Collegiate in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Lau (74-76-71) rallied from behind to tie for first in mid-February at the Tulane Classic in New Orleans. She then won the 50th VyStaff Florida Invitational in early March, leading the Wolverines to a share of the team title with host Florida.

After setting her career-best with a 67 (3-under) in her first round, Lau used a new career-low 66 (-4) in the final round to record her first sub-par 54-hole tournament total of 203 (7-under), to lower the school record by two shots. It was Lau’s third career individual win. She also

maternity leave.

“She's having fun and that really shines through in her play."

The Men Wolverines won the Desert Mountain Collegiate it hosts each year. The program also won it in 2017.

With three Wolverines finishing among the top 20, the team rallied the last day to post a 284 (4-under) final round total and an 873 tally for a four-shot win.

Freshman Hunter Thomson finished second and tied his career-best with a 215 (-1) total -- his fourth sub-par 54hole total in seven events. His closing 70 (-2), along with reigning Michigan Amateur champ and senior Patrick Sullivan's 69 (-3), Michigan was able to close with an 873 and move up four spots to win by four shots over UAB (877).

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OAKLAND HILLS CLUBHOUSE UPDATES

Behind the Scenes: Diary of a Massive Fire

Salute to first responders of Feb. 17

By Janina Parrott Jacobs Firefighters across America report for duty daily between 7-8am hoping for an uneventful day, but always preparing for the worst.

Completing a lengthy safety checklist is first; coffee can wait. From assembling personal equipment and gear, to accounting for medical supplies, air tanks and forcible entry tools, they must also confirm that the fire trucks’ ladders, hoses, and tires are in working order as well as water tanks, oil and fuel levels are fully topped off. Everything must be ready to go at a moment’s notice.

In Michigan’s Oakland County, that moment came on February 17, 2022. Sounding more like a tee time, at 9:17am the first call rang in to

Bloomfield Township Fire Department when kitchen staff at the legendary Oakland Hills Country Club smelled the odor of smoke and noticed haze spreading on the main floor.

Fire Chief John LeRoy was in his department vehicle looking forward to a day off after a rough week. As Chief, LeRoy’s radio is always on, with alerts coming through 24/7. The one from 3951 Maple Road was troubling. As radio calls intensified, he rushed to the scene.

“We get smoke calls all the time,” said LeRoy. “You can often tell by the specific odor of smoke whether it’s electrical or something else, and then discover its source,” but the smell of this one was hard for anyone to define, he added. Protocol dictates the station

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Battalion Chief is in charge, but the Fire Chief

However, you cannot simply punch holes and

stands ready to assist. That day, everyone was needed simply to locate the fire.

start spraying water. First, any structure opened and breached brings in oxygen, which fire hungrily consumes. Secondly, multiple HVAC units were housed up there. Smoke and fire injures and kills, but the collapsing of

The elegant 100-year-old wooden clubhouse has had several renovations from 1968 through 2015.

The building is 110,000 square feet with rooms added on for trophy and keepsake displays, and hallways spread throughout a basement, two floors and an attic. Unquestionably, there were numerous places to investigate.

Unlike today, century-old buildings were not designed to stop fires. In the 1920’s, tall trees were plentiful, and carpenters took pride in fashioning one continuous plank to frame up two or three stories. This was typically known as balloon construction. Extremely tall boards are majestic and sound, but they create voids within the walls and act as chimneys, allowing the fire and gases to spread upward and outward unimpeded, igniting combustible materials along the way.

“Big buildings have big fires,” explained Chief Leroy, adding “this one was not presenting itself….no one could find it. Even a shared police department drone was flown over.

Finally, after 30 minutes of frantic searching, thermal imaging cameras revealed fire in the attic.”

floors and ceilings with disintegrating metal, boards, and equipment raining down becomes a major threat and can kill and maim just the same.

When temperatures are freezing, there are other obstacles. That Thursday, Mother Nature unleashed it all: rain, sleet, snow, ice and wind. Much like frigid waves crashing and freezing against seawalls, forming jagged bursts of natural ice sculptures, the pounding water from multiple ladder trucks spewing a combined total of 8,000 to 10,000 gallons per minute coated the building and parking lot.

Maximum water saturated the site for almost 24 hours. If water was stopped, the flames started up again.

Continues next pg.>>

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OAKLAND HILLS CLUBHOUSE UPDATES

No one was injured during the inferno and

out, but the embers catch a wisp of air and it

ultimate destruction, but another worry was slip and falls on piles of unfettered ice. With so many emergency vehicles in the parking lot and hoses spider-webbing everywhere, nothing is allowed to run over fire hoses which meant

re-ignites.”

salt trucks couldn’t come on the premises.

Enter the unsung heroes: the staff at Oakland Hills.

“The staff got out there with hand-held salt spreaders and kept going back and forth till nightfall. They went home for a cat-nap and were back at 7am to do it all over again,” said Chief LeRoy. “It was incredible.”

Fire codes mandate that water mains provide sufficient flow to hydrants for structural demands. Everything was up to code, but sometimes even that isn’t enough. LeRoy stated, “Oakland Hills had two hydrants on their property, but we had to tap into four more, off property. Still, we ran out of water.”

As the fire raged on, members watched, helpless. OHCC member Kimberly Young observed everything from her backyard on the 18th hole.

Fourteen departments battled the blaze, but the fire wasn’t totally extinguished until midmorning Monday – four days later. With all the precipitation and millions of gallons of water, the question arises, ‘why didn’t the fire die?’

“Seeing our beautiful and historic clubhouse consumed by the devastating fire was a sad day for all of us who love Oakland Hills, golf, and the cherished memories associated with the club,” Young expressed.

“When you have major debris crashing in upon itself, layers form, creating voids underneath and water cannot get in there,” Chief LeRoy explained. “It’s like a campfire; you think it’s

Once established that there were no reported casualties, foremost in the mindset of the global golf community was if any of the rare golf contents survived amidst the smoldering ruins and sodden memories.

Fortunately, shortly into the fire, the Southfield Fire Department was assigned to retrieve as much of the historical memorabilia as possible. There was risk but no one’s safety was compromised, as the main fire danger then was nearest the South Course. Chief Johnny Menifee and his men formed a ‘bucket brigade’, smashing glass cases to retrieve the irreplaceable items.

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“Although we managed to save many of our historic golf items, we lost many as well,” said OHCC member and Historian Richard Howting in his only statement to any media to date. “In addition, of course, we lost our 100-year-old clubhouse, which was not simply an iconic building in the world of golf, but one of the truly magnificent structures designed by Charles Howard Crane, the great Detroit architect who also designed the Fox Theatre, Orchestra Hall, Detroit Opera House and the original Olympia.”

Despite this devastation, the members have already voted to rebuild, replicating the stately Mount Vernon design, albeit with modern and fire-resistant architectural plans. What will also remain is the strong bond between the club and the Fire Department that’s existed since 1930.

“We’ve had a wonderful relationship,” said former OHCC Board Member and GAM

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President Emeritus Lee Juett. “They’ve worked with our Executive Staff on so much and have done a remarkable job on all the major tournaments as well as our favorite, the Michigan Amateur. Always on stand-by for emergencies, they’re 400-yards away so were able to get to us quickly and did a fantastic job with the fire.”

While the loss of such a classic yet stylish clubhouse is heartbreaking, the spirit of the members and those who serve them has only been strengthened. After the fire, Kimberly Young captured a photo that says it all: The American flag flying adjacent to the charred remnants of the clubhouse is a poignant reminder of the hope and promise of the future.

Janina Parrott Jacobs is a multi-media golf consultant and freelance writer. She is also the proud daughter of a Detroit firefighter.

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OAKLAND HILLS CLUBHOUSE UPDATES

A Rush to Save History

By Janina Parrott Jacobs Four of Southfield Fire Department’s firefighters were able to save far more irreplaceable artifacts than Oakland Hills’ staff or members had ever expected, but still, Lieutenant Zachary McKee had one regret.

“We could have removed everything…… if the ceiling hadn’t come down in the main lobby,” said McKee, who plays golf and was aware of the club’s historical displays and had asked for his crew to be assigned to that duty five minutes after they arrived at the scene.

It’s no surprise firefighters love golf. With the profession’s standard 24-hours-on, 24-hoursoff schedule, there’s ample time to play.

Southfield FD is no different. LT McKee enjoys playing golf with his kids. Firefighters Mike Petry and Patrick Kerr and Paramedic Nate Herr have favorites including Treetops Resort, Boyne Highlands, Birmingham CC and Coyote Preserve.

Good thing. That love of golf saved treasured historical items while an active fire consumed the elegant clubhouse.

Southfield, one of 14 departments battling the massive fire, got there at 10:30 a.m. ‘when the weather was still nice’ according to McKee. “By the time we left at 10:30 p.m. there was six inches of snow on the ground.”

Millions around the world saw the inferno in

real time, and while relieved that no one was injured or killed, most presumed much of its preserved history was lost.

But during those twelve hours, a minor miracle happened.

“When we arrived and observed the conditions, there was concern about the amount of water needed to control the fire,” McKee explained, knowing it could destroy the rare items. He asked the Bloomfield Township Chief in charge if anyone was retrieving valuables from the building. McKee was directed to club officials and stated, ‘I have a crew of four and we are going in to get your stuff, what do you need?’”

Both officials provided guidance and McKee asked them to gather people at the front doors so the firefighters could hand off the items.

Immediately, the ‘bucket brigade’ began.

WWW.MIGOLFJOURNAL.COM “When we made entry into the lobby, the conditions weren’t bad,” McKee said. “We broke the main glass trophy case, then Herr, Petry and Kerr carried out trophies. I grabbed a bust and photo from the wall. After several trips we’d removed everything in that area.

We then took items from the smaller cases and walls, grabbed the largest picture frame, then stacked smaller frames and trophies on top.”

However, the initial conditions soon deteriorated.

“We continued working until the ceiling in the main lobby fell onto the chandelier and railing for the staircase,” McKee said. “At this point it was too dangerous and I pulled the crew out. We’d cleared the main lobby and most of the wing directly left, which had three or four trophy cases and photos covering those walls.”

While the remaining first and second floor artifacts were now beyond reach, club officials asked if it was safe to get paintings from the basement, then directed the crew to an outside entrance by the main lobby.

“We found a storage room in the basement with more trophies and paintings,” McKee said. “We had no idea of the value of the artworks. Now, it was raining so we placed the paintings face to face for protection and carried them upstairs to the staff. We loaded a kitchen cart with as many of the remaining items in that area. On the last trip, we had embers falling into the exterior stairwell and the roof looked bad. I was concerned the wall Continues on next page >>

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OAKLAND HILLS CLUBHOUSE UPDATES

might collapse onto the stairwell so we carried out what we had, and I ordered my crew out.”

Still, McKee wanted more work for his ‘aggressive young crew’. They got it: stop the fire from inside and on the roof of the Men’s Locker Room.

Upon entering, McKee recalled, “There was just too much fire…. and conditions prevented us from staying inside and on the roof. We were covered in ice and very cold by this time. The club’s staff sent us to the 1st tee building and provided dry towels and hot coffee to warm us up….but we were very disappointed we had to abandon that Men’s Locker Room.”

While firefighters save lives and physical structures, they also attempt to salvage

personal property, if they can. And this is where the Oakland Hills employees and members were invaluable.

McKee and his men summed it up: “They treated us great. Those guys at the 1st tee house left before us. We did leave a note thanking them for taking care of us on probably the worst day they could possibly imagine for the club. The amount of gratitude we received from all the OHCC staff and members we met on scene was amazing.”

Imagine that. Firefighters who saved 100 years of golf history thanked the staff. Forget labeling first responders as heroes; they simply prefer to be known as people doing what they were trained to do…..and humble about doing it.

Firefighters Nathan Herr, Patrick Kerr and Lt. Zachary McKee saved many trophies and so much more.

HERE COME THE MAJORS

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Oakland Hills to Host 8 USGA Championships, One Every 3-5 Years

By Tom Lang The USGA has basically set up a part-time shop at Oakland Hills Country Club for the next 29 years.

On March 22 at a ceremony in downtown Detroit, USGA officials finalized naming the historic club in Bloomfield Hills as the host site for two U.S. Women’s Opens, two U.S. Opens and four more high-level amateur tournaments between 2024 and 2051.

Adding to Oakland Hills’ incredible history in the game of golf, both U.S. Opens come on key anniversary years. The 2034 championship will be 110 years since the club hosted its first U.S. Open, in 1924 when Cyril Walker prevailed over defending champion Bob Jones by 3 strokes.

Then the 100th anniversary of Ben Hogan’s classic win and subsequent tagline of “taming the Monster” will be the 2051 U.S. Open.

“This is a significant and meaningful day for all of us at Oakland Hills,” said Rick Palmer, club president. “The commitment of two U.S.

Opens as well as four top amateur championships is a testament to the fabulous work of everyone at Oakland Hills. With a total of eight USGA championships coming to our club starting in 2024, we can’t wait to add to our storied history.”

The fact that Oakland Hills will host the U.S. Junior Amateur two years from now in 2024 is significant in that a new clubhouse to replace the original building that was destroyed in the dramatic fire on Feb. 17, will not be rebuilt by then. Oakland Hills will have to use some type of temporary structure to host it, but the USGA approved to keep its plans in place even after the recent fire.

Agreements for all 8 events were solidified many months ago before the clubhouse fire took place – erasing a thought that once went through my head that this might be a gesture made on emotions about the fire destroying so much history. Yet discussions between the Continues on next page >>

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HERE COME THE MAJORS

two organizations on hosting future USGA events began in 2017. All will be played on the

will host the U.S. Women’s Opens in 2031 and 2042. The others include the 2029 U.S.

iconic South Course, which was shut down in 2020 and early 2021 for Gil Hanse to restore it to the original Donald Ross design of 1918.

Women’s Amateur and the 2038 U.S. Girls Junior. All 8 of these events between 2024 and 2051 are further confirmation of the state of Michigan’s support of the great game of golf

“For us the ultimate measure is in really providing a great test is players need to get every club in their bag dirty,” John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer said at the announcement at the Detroit Athletic Club. “They need to hit it high, low, left, right, control it on the ground, mental, physical… so when somebody wins a U.S. Open or U.S. Women's Open, they've done something really special.”

Bodenhamer also said at the announcement that he previously asked Oakland Hills officials if they could still do the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2024, and Palmer told him, yes, not only could they do it, but they need it. Oakland Hills last USGA event was the U.S. Amateur in 2016.

The biggest surprise to me was the fact the USGA tagged on 4 additional tournaments. It was previously announced that Oakland Hills

but also will bring significant exposure, and economic impact, to Southeast Michigan and our state in general. Oakland Hills will become the fifth club to have hosted a U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur – a short list indeed.

“USGA championships are both aspirational and inspirational,” Bodenhamer added.

“They showcase and celebrate the world's best players and give them the stage for achieving their dreams… we host the National Championships in America, showcasing the nation's very best golf courses, which we like to think are the cathedrals of the game. We love that term. That's a Jason Gore coined term. Today we're furthering a longstanding relationship that does just that. It pairs our best in place National Championships with one of America's greatest championship venues, a true cathedral of the game, that is Oakland Hills Country Club.”

MICHIGAN NEWS AND NOTES

Hall Financial To Sponsor Michigan Open Championship The 105th edition of the Michigan Open Championship will feature a new title sponsor.

The Hall Financial Michigan Open Championship presented by Turtle Creek Casino and Caesars Sportsbook will be played June 13-16 on The Bear course at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. “We are proud to be a growing Michigan company and this is a great event in our state that I felt we could and should support,” said David Hall, president and CEO of Michiganbased Hall Financial and an accomplished amateur golfer who has competed in multiple Michigan Opens. “It’s great to have the golf community learn more about us, but that’s really second to the fact that supporting golf means a lot to me personally.”

Grand Traverse Resort and Spa will be hosting the Michigan Open for the 33rd time, and this will be the 30th time the state championship has been contested on The Bear, a celebrated Jack Nicklaus design. Hall has played in several Michigan Open championships, competed in multiple U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur championships as well as several Michigan Ams. In 1995 was the Golf Association of Michigan’s Player of the Year.

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New Officers for the Michigan Golf Course Superintendents Association Ryan Moore, the Class A Golf Course Superintendent at Forest Lake Country Club in Bloomfield Township, has been elected as the MiGCSA Chapter President for 2022. The MiGCSA held its 15th annual meeting and election at Boyne Mountain Resort in Boyne Falls in mid-March.

Other officers elected to the MiGCSA board include Vice-President Doug Hoeh from Treetops Resort in Gaylord and Secretary/Treasurer Jesse Shaver from Gull Lake Country Club in Richland. The election marked the end of board service for PastPresident (2020) Rob Steger, CGCS from Red Run Golf Club.

New members elected to the board include William "Skip" Connolly from the Mines Golf Course in Grand Rapids and Kevin Risch from Saginaw Country Club. This also marked the end of six years board service for Jeff Hopkins from Muskegon Country Club.

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MICHIGAN NEWS AND NOTES

MWGA-Sponsored LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Program Wins Initial GAM Champion of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award The Michigan Women’s Golf Association (MWGA)sponsored LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Program (for the past 15 years) has been named the winner of the first Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) Champion of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award.

The program offers Detroit inner city girls a chance to learn about golf, including lessons for play and life. The goal is to inspire and transform their lives through the game.

The LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Program has over 90,000 current members and 500 chapters in the U.S. The programs incorporate workbooks, lessons and materials that teach the five Es – enrich, energize, empower, engage and exercise.

"As an organization that is inclusive of all women, it is especially rewarding that MWGA is receiving this award for extending that philosophy of inclusion to girls,” said longtime volunteer Jane Kersjes. “It has been an enriching experience to have helped grow the game of golf to girls that just want to try it out...”

Over 300 African American, Arabic, Asian and white junior girls have participated and several golfers have gone on to play high school and college golf.

Saline’s Debbie Williams-Hoak Selected Top 50 LPGA Teachers Worldwide The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Professionals announced former LPGA Tour Player Debbie Williams-Hoak to the Top 50 LPGA Teachers Worldwide for the years 20222023. The Top 50 list recognizes the best LPGA instructors from more than 1,800 LPGA certified professionals across the globe. Debbie is the only recipient in Michigan.

Debbie took up the game of golf at age 31, in 1991. She quickly elevated her game as an amateur and in just two years was GAM Female Player of the Year. She turned pro in 1995, joining the Futures Golf Tour before qualifying for the LPGA Tour in 2000.

Debbie is currently an LPGA Class A Teaching Professional and Director of the Brookside Golf Academy in Saline, Michigan. She is the Lead Instructor for the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Program of Detroit and is also the Site Director and Lead Instructor for the LPGAUSGA Girls Golf Program of Greater Washtenaw County.

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Rocket Mortgage Classic Opens Registration for 2022 Volunteers

The Rocket Mortgage Classic has opened volunteer registration for the 2022 tournament, taking place at the Detroit Golf Club July 26 - 31. The Rocket Mortgage Classic relies on the support and dedication of its volunteers who help oversee every aspect of the event. New and returning volunteers can register for limited available positions now by visiting RocketMortgageClassic.com, clicking “Tournament Info” and choosing “Volunteer.”

Volunteering is an exclusive experience for more than 1,500 people who will be an integral part of a PGA TOUR event while also positively impacting the city of Detroit. Volunteers are involved in all aspects of the tournament, from admissions and guest services to on-course gallery management and shot tracking.

“Having this golf tournament is so great for Detroit, and I'm honored to be part of it,” said Sonya Moore, a volunteer since 2019 and Chair of the Walking Scorers committee. “I love the fact that this event provides exposure to golf for those who may have thought golf was out of their reach. I have met some really great people from all over Michigan and the PGA TOUR, and I have developed some wonderful friendships.”

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Dow GLBI Announces LPGA Tournament Qualifier for Amateurs

The Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational (Dow GLBI) announced that they will be teaming up with Dow Sustainability Ambassador and 2023 European Solheim Cup Team Captain Suzann Pettersen to host a qualifying event for amateurs. Scheduled for June 7-8, 2022, registration is now open for the amateur qualifier event at The Fortress Golf Course in Frankenmuth.

The winner of the qualifier will receive an exemption for themselves and an amateur playing partner of their choosing for LPGA tournament, July 10-16. To qualify, each female amateur’s USGA Handicap Index cannot exceed a 4.0. Those interested in competing in the qualifier must register online by May 24 at: www.zehnders.com/ticketing/event/qualifier The $175 per player entry fee includes practice and two competitive rounds, a welcome reception meal for a player and one guest hosted by Pettersen as well as breakfast and lunch on both days of competition.

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PGA TOUR NEWS

Caddie of Michigan PGA Tour player comes out as gay; boss 'has given me my freedom'

By Tony Paul Used with permission of the Detroit News Longtime PGA Tour caddie Todd Montoya had for several years carried with him a secret much heavier than those staff bags, telling only a handful of people closest to him.

This week, in an interview with Golf Channel, Montoya publicly came out as gay, and credited his boss and Michigan native Brian Stuard's acceptance for having "given me my freedom" when he confided in him several months ago.

Following last year's playoff tournament, The Northern Trust in Jersey City, New Jersey — the end of the season for Stuard, and the end of Stuard and Montoya's fifth year working together — Montoya came out to Stuard, a Jackson native and Oakland University alum who's been playing on the PGA Tour since 2013.

"I went out to dinner that evening, and a text comes through from Brian," Montoya told Golf Channel. "It says, 'Just wanted to say thanks for another successful year, and also just wanted to say that I really appreciate that you told me and I feel really grateful that you consider me close enough for you to open up, and don't think for one second that makes me think any differently of you and the person that you are."

While several of Montoya's colleagues on the PGA Tour knew, Stuard was caught a by surprise.

But he wanted to make sure Montoya knew he had his full support.

"I appreciated the fact that he told me something important like that," Stuard told The News on Tuesday afternoon. "I let him know I didn't think anything differently of him.

PGA TOUR NEWS "I think it took a lot of courage for him to do that."

Montoya, a New Mexico resident, began caddying in 2001 and, in 2006, he was on the bag for mini-tour player Doug LaBelle II, when LaBelle, a Mount Pleasant native, secured his PGA Tour card.

Montoya told Golf Channel that at that moment in 2006, he felt like he had to be honest with LaBelle.

"And he gave me a big hug," Montoya said of Labelle, who played on the PGA Tour in 2007-08 and 2013-14. "When somebody's that so important to you accepts you for who you are, it's a big deal."

Still, Montoya didn't tell many people after LaBelle for fear, he said, of not being able to get a job or keeping a job. Golf remains one of the most conservative sports.

He's caddied for many players, including Billy Mayfair, Ryan Blaum, Charlie Wi, Ryuji Imada, Scott Gutschewski, Tag Ridings, Nicholas Thompson and Kevin Durkin.

In 2016, he got a new bag, Stuard, who had just won for the first time on the PGA Tour at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans.

From 2017-21, with Montoya on the bag, Stuard made more than $1 million a season and had 11 top-10s, including a tie for fifth at the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.

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Montaya considers Stuard the golfer he's most enjoyed working with over the years, and that was even before telling Stuard he was gay.

"As time passes, frustration level increases is what it is with the situation of constantly feeling like you're hiding something from everybody, from people you work with, people you consider friends," Montoya told Golf Channel. "(Now), I feel 100% different. I feel like I'm walking on air. I feel like Brian has given me the greatest gift that I could get. I feel like he's given me my freedom."

Stuard, 39, and Montoya are in this week's Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

Stuard's game is starting to come around, riding a streak of five consecutive cuts, including a tie for ninth at the Honda Classic.

That was his best showing since a tie for third at the Safeway Classic in September 2020.